The pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong is facing a crucial weekend in which it will again try to gather the crowds after being criticized for the violence that occurred Tuesday at the airport, against the backdrop of the threat of Chinese intervention. This is the biggest challenge to Beijing's sovereignty over its semi-autonomous region and the central government has muscled its speech, equating "terrorism" with the most violent actions of the movement.

China's state-run media has broadcast images of soldiers and armored vehicles in Shenzhen, a neighboring city of Hong Kong. Washington warned China against an intervention that, in the eyes of experts, would be for Beijing disastrous in terms of image or economic consequences.

Thousands of protesters gathered Friday night in a city park for a vigil to call foreign countries to impose sanctions against government officials.

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The English-language nationalist daily "Global Times" said Friday that a possible armed intervention in Hong Kong would not be a repeat of the carnage committed in June 1989 in Tiananmen by the military. "The incident in Hong Kong will not be a repeat of the June 4 political event in 1989," the paper said in an unusual allusion to the Tiananmen crackdown, a taboo subject in the country.

A big gathering on Sunday

The protesters are planning for Sunday a large rally that is intended "rational, non-violent", to show that the mobilization remains popular despite the violence that marked the end of the action at the airport.

After days in the arrivals hall to peacefully sensitize the people landing in Hong Kong, the mobilization took a confrontational turn Tuesday when protesters prevented departing travelers from boarding and then assaulted two men accused of being spies of Beijing. The Chinese propaganda apparatus jumped at the opportunity, the public media lashing out at the violence of the protesters.

The call to demonstrate on Sunday was launched by the Civil Rights Front, a non-violent organization behind the giant protests in June and July. "Sunday's march should still bring a million people together, and the Hong Kong people can not be beaten," said pro-democracy MP Claudia Mo on Facebook.

Risk of scuffles

But the risk of new scuffles is real. Other protesters called for rallies on Saturday at Hung Hom and To Kwa Wan, waterfront areas popular with tourists from mainland China. These two events were not allowed. And if the police gave the green light to Sunday's rally in a large park on Hong Kong Island, she banned protesters from marching in the street.

This kind of ban has almost always been ignored by protesters in recent weeks and the marches have resulted in clashes with law enforcement.

Donald Trump's reaction

After being silent for weeks and being accused of being benevolent to the Chinese regime, US President Donald Trump began this week to express concern at the turn of events in the former colony. British, against the backdrop of a trade war with Beijing.

Asked about the risk of violent repression, he announced Thursday that he should talk about it "soon" with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, urging Beijing to "humanly solve the problem." But he said Xi Jinping could also, if he met representatives of the protesters, "solve the problem quickly," "in fifteen minutes".

Large fortunes to support Beijing

Beijing tightens the screw to any company suspected of sympathy for the pro-democracy movement, like the airline Cathay Pacific whose general manager Rupert Hogg resigned Friday. Hong Kong's fortunes have also been invited to align with the government's position, and some have called for an end to the protests.

Hong Kong's richest man, Li Ka-shing, posted in the press on Friday a much more subtle opinion based on classical poetry verses and a multi-level reading language to call for peace.

With AFP