Hong Kong (AFP)
Thousands of protesters formed a human chain snaking Friday night through Hong Kong, thirty years to the day after the famous "Baltic Way" chain that the Baltic countries had organized to regain their independence thirty years ago.
At the foot of skyscrapers adorned with their iridescent lighting and in the shopping districts of the famous Hong Kong Bay, thousands of demonstrators were holding hands or waving the torch of their cell phones, all along this chain formed as a sign opposition to the pro-Beijing government.
The three Baltic countries, today members of the EU - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - are celebrating on Friday the 30th anniversary of what was one of the largest anti-Soviet demonstrations, with more than a million people joining hands to form a human chain over 600 km.
The human chain of Hong Kong is the latest creation of the pro-democracy movement in nearly three months of protests that have tipped Hong Kong into an unprecedented political crisis.
Born in June from the rejection of a bill authorizing extradition to China, the mobilization has since broadened its demands.
"We have tried traditional marches, we have tried more militant acts - although I do not agree with them - this time, we are holding hands to show that we are always united", told AFP, a protester named Wing.
Three decades later, the moving image of the human chain of 1989 continues to inspire activists around the world.
"In doing so, we show people around the world the high quality of Hong Kong people," says Cat Law, a logistics employee in her sixties, "what people did 30 years ago, we can do it".
Protesters, young and old, chanted "Free Hong Kong".
The idea of the "Hong Kong Way" was launched by social media protesters, who for several days have been using non-violent tactics to make their voices heard.
© 2019 AFP