Carrie Lam's annual policy speech was presented as an attempt to regain public confidence after more than four months of an unprecedented political crisis. But the chief of the executive of Hong Kong could not pronounce it, Wednesday, October 16, interrupted in Parliament by elected officials.
Pro-democracy parliamentarians booed it, as one of them projected slogans of the protest movement with a pocket projector on the wall behind Carrie Lam, who was standing on a podium. She had to leave the Legislative Council ("LegCo"), the local parliament.
This speech was eagerly awaited, after a summer of almost daily demonstrations and actions demanding, among other things, democratic reforms, against the backdrop of the growing interference of the Chinese central authorities.
On the contrary, it has once again underlined the profound division of Hong Kong society.
Historically low level of popularity
Carrie Lam, whose popularity is historically low, twice tried to deliver her annual speech to an assembly that had opened for a new session of about three months.
After having failed a second time to deliver her address, the leader left the building with her close guard.
His services indicated that the speech of the chief executive would be broadcast later in a pre-recorded video.
Unreasonable concessions
The announcement of a battery of economic and social measures was expected to appease some of the anger of the population, whose standard of living is lower and lower.
However, it seemed unlikely that she would make any significant political concessions to the protesters.
Carrie Lam and Beijing have repeatedly rejected their demands and struggle to find a way out of the crisis.
The mobilization arose from the rejection of a bill that aimed to authorize extradition to China. This text has since been withdrawn but too late, according to protesters who have since considerably expanded the scope of their claims.
With AFP