Hong Kong: these tactics developed by the protesters to counter the police

• Tweeter

• republish

A protester fires a tear gas bomb at a demonstration for democratic reform in Hong Kong on August 5, 2019. REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon

For two months, the political protest in Hong Kong is peppered almost daily with clashes with the police. During the confrontations, the demonstrators honed their tactics.

On the video, which has already reached 4.6 million views on Twitter, we see masked and helmeted protesters running towards a tear gas canister, cover it with a traffic cone and then sprinkle it with water to extinguish it. A technique learned in the emergency in Hong Kong, where the population has been mobilized since June 9 against a bill to authorize extraditions to the rest of China, and where the almost daily events degenerate more and more frequently in violent confrontations with the police.

Truly awesome the way Hong Kongers deal with tear gas # antiELAB # HongKongProtests # BeWater pic.twitter.com/ptWL4nKHn4

The "tear gas festival"

While tear gas is a weapon of choice for riot police around the world, Hong Kongers have not been used to it until now. No grenade had been fired on the territory since the 1960s. The use of tear gas was so unusual in the megacity of southern China, little subject to street confrontation, it had caused a public outcry during the "Movement "umbrellas" of 2014 - said umbrellas have been deployed, precisely, to protect themselves from gases. The protesters were then shot 87 tear gas.

But since June 2019, it is the deluge: 1,000 grenades were sent between June 9th and August 4th, then 800 on the only day of August 5th. The latter was also dubbed the "Festival of Lacrimos" by the protesters. A report by Amnesty International, however, denounced from June 12 misuse of these weapons of law and order.

►Also read: Hong Kong Umbrellas Revolt: Nine accused found guilty

Tactics to defend yourself ...

To successfully breathe under the fire of the tear, protesters have invested heavily in gas masks, nicknamed "pig snouts" in Cantonese. The online forums are full of discussions on the most suitable models of masks, on the best addresses where to buy them. It must be said that they are hardly difficult to find: " They can be bought everywhere since the atypical pneumonia epidemic, SARS, in 2003 . They are in all 7-Eleven (Hong Kong supermarkets, Ed), "says Éric Sautedé, political analyst living in Hong Kong.

The protesters have also set up specialized "units" especially in the management of teargas grenades. These are neutralized with cones and bottles of water, as on the video of Alex Hofford, or simply relaunched to the sender.

In the defensive arsenal of protesters, there are also hard-shell helmets and makeshift shields made from pieces of cardboard, gates or road signs. The equipment is often artisanal: " the young people wrap the cellophane paper around the arms, to avoid burns projections pepper, " says Éric Sautedé. In the absence of a traffic cone, a wok lid proved formidable to smother grenades. And masked protesters can opt for the traditional swimming goggles, or rinse their eyes with saline to stop the burn. An e-shop even offers flame retardant gloves to catch lachrymos, leggings, hoods or ... umbrellas.

►Also read: At the heart of the demonstrations in Hong Kong: " Even children wear masks "

... and not to get caught

It is not only a question of offensives of the police, but also and especially not to be arrested. The protesters, who chose the black T-shirt as a dress code, also set up used T-shirt stands, which they can wear over their black clothes and then take off.

To protect themselves from prosecution, the protesters also unsheathed their lasers, giving the confrontations a pyrotechnic show. By shining these light beams on the police, they intend to disrupt surveillance cameras and facial recognition devices . The police are not outdone, using powerful projectors to identify the protesters and confuse their ranks. To the chagrin of the media, who complained of embarrassment for their lenses and cameras.

These lasers Hong Kong protesters are pointing to riot police through billowing tear gas, it's like something out of a sci-fi movie. #AntiELAB pic.twitter.com/noTllDuc09

A student was arrested on Tuesday, August 6 for possession of an "offensive weapon" because he had 10 laser pointers on him, causing a demonstration in front of a police station that was scattered with tear gas grenades. " It was done in defiance of all the rules, all the usual procedures, deplores Éric Sautedé. It is not illegal in Hong Kong to own a laser pointer! "

The penalties incurred by the demonstrators are heavy: up to 10 years in prison if the facts are characterized by riots. " These are orders on public order that date back to the English colonial era and are quite severe, says Éric Sautedé. It is a qualification a bit excessive, to scare. Several prosecutors came out of the woods to testify to pressure coming from the government to characterize these assaults in riots, which went against the legal tradition of Hong Kong. "

►Also read: Hong Kong: Arrest of Andy Chan, the founder of a banned pro-independence party

A repression that will crescendo

Panels, masks, lasers or cellophanes: " the general idea is to use all that is at hand to respond to an ever greater repression ," summarizes Éric Sautedé. Because the local authorities and Beijing keep hardening the tone with the help of tear guns and rubber bullets, proceeding since July to hundreds of arrests . In the aftermath of the August 5 general strike , the Chinese government promised that " those who play with fire will perish by fire ".

►To read too: Hong Kong protest : the Chinese government's heavy threats

" What's still reassuring is that compared to what we saw with the" yellow vests "and the use of the launcher defense ball (LBD) in France, there is no had serious injuries on the side of the demonstrators, "puts Éric Sautedé into perspective. On the other hand, there were deaths: six young people lost their lives since the beginning of the movement. These deaths are not relayed in the media, explains the political scientist, because it is about suicides. " According to the way they explain their actions, these deaths are directly related to the situation, the fact that these young people felt misunderstood and blocked," he says. A future in Hong Kong seemed impossible to them. "

►To read also: Joshua Wong: in Hong Kong, " we face Emperor Xi "