A conference organized "by the people, for the people". Three members of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement organized a very unusual press conference on Tuesday (August 6th) in order, according to them, not to leave the monopoly of communication to the city's executive, which is aligned with Beijing.
Dressed in the emblematic dress of the protest, a black T-shirt and a yellow hard hat, two young men and a young woman wearing masks presented this press point, the first also formal. "We call on the government to restore power to the people and to respond to the demands of the citizens of Hong Kong," they said, assuring no one was speaking on behalf of any movement or political party.
"Give back power to the people"
"The current government should be concerned about the emotions of the population, but it has chosen not to take responsibility," they said, reading statements in English and Cantonese. "Such scandalous behavior must be condemned," said one of them, in English.
The three protesters then denounced the violence of the police which shows a "total loss of self-discipline" and their "incompetence". "The quest for democracy, freedom and equality is an inalienable right for every citizen, and we call on the government not to exterminate this right," they added.
This press conference comes one day after one of the most violent days since the beginning of the movement, which was marked by a general strike, many demonstrations sometimes enameled clashes with the police and a large-scale action blocking the subway from the city.
>> Read: Police disperse protesters after another day of mobilization in Hong Kong
"Those who play with fire end up getting burned"
For its part, the Chinese Office of Hong Kong Affairs wanted to prevent, Tuesday, in a statement, "all violent criminals" not to "take restraint of the authorities for weakness". "We are clearly telling the small group of violent and unscrupulous criminals and the disgusting forces behind them: those who play with fire eventually get burned ... and they will end up being punished."
On Monday, the head of the pro-Beijing executive, Carrie Lam, denounced, at a press conference, "intensive disruptions" that "seriously undermined law and order in Hong Kong and push the city to edge of a very dangerous situation ".
"A psychological war"
According to our journalist Armelle Charrier, the warning of the Chinese executive vis-à-vis the protesters is "not to be taken lightly." "We are looking at the tipping point that will make us move from this psychological warfare to real war, which is a real risk today." And to add: "Thirty years later, everyone says 'impossible to remake Tiananmen' but the Chinese reality can be other".
Since early June, protesters have called for the resignation of Carrie Lam, an investigation into police action, an amnesty for protesters, in addition to universal suffrage and a permanent abandonment of a controversial bill on extraditions to China.
With AFP and Reuters