The French "Spiderman", Alain Robert, climbed a skyscraper in Hong Kong on Friday morning to deploy a "banner of peace" while the former British colony saw the worst political crisis in its history with almost daily events organized to demand more democracy.
At age 57, the climber, who specialized in building climbing, climbed the 68 floors of the Cheung Kong Center - which he had already climbed twice in the past - in Central's financial district. in hot and humid weather.
He then unfurled a banner with the combined Chinese and Hong Kong flags and a handshake.
Make "lower the temperature"
Before undertaking the escalation of the building, he issued a statement explaining that the action was "an urgent call for consultations between Hong Kongers and their government."
"Maybe what I'm doing will bring down the temperature and make smiles, at least that's what I hope for," he said.
But the message did not convince everyone. "Do you really want to shake hands with butchers and dictators?", Commented on Twitter by Chinese cartoonist Badiucao, a dissident living in Australia.
"This shows that many foreigners do not understand the substance of the problem between Hong Kong and China," reacted on his side a user on a forum.
This flag shows how ignorant and stupid for some westerns understanding of Hong Kong and China.
stop normalizing Beijing ok? Do not really want to shake hands with butchers and dictators.
'Spiderman' scales Hong Kong skyscraper, unfurls 'peace' banner.
pic.twitter.com/rAUdkALpB1
Since the beginning of June, Hong Kong has been the scene of monster and sometimes violent demonstrations.
The mobilization, born of the rejection of a bill that aimed to authorize extraditions to China - since suspended - has considerably broadened its demands, demanding now including the advent of universal suffrage.
This movement is, for the Hong Kong authorities and for Beijing, the biggest challenge in the former British colony since its retrocession in 1997.
Alain Robert has often come to Hong Kong to climb his buildings, the city with the highest concentration of skyscrapers in the world.
With AFP