hong kong protest posters framed by a yellow unbrella cutout

Hong Kong In Resistance
An Overview

Recounting events of the Hong Kong protests from 2019 onward

background photo credits to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LadyLibertyHong_Kong

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Notable events of the Hong Kong Protests

Accounts of what happened on these landmark days and its subsequent effects on other protests, researched and compiled from journalistic sources

protest posters with protesters in gas masks
a wall covered in blank post it notes

The Protests So Far

Most recent developments


More Coming Soon

How Can I Help?

An ongoing list of how you can contribute

a line of people holding hands against a victoria harbour night

7.21 Yuen Long Station Attack

crowd of citizens defending against attacks from white clad men

Coming Soon

8.31 Prince Edward station Attack

armed hong kong police forces herding and beating up citizens

On the night of 31 August 2019, armed policemen rushed into the Prince Edward MTR station and indiscriminately attacked citizens trapped in train carriages, causing a lot of serious injuries. They also denied the victims access to medics for treatment. Hong Kongers have been seeking justice through tributes to victims that are rumoured to be dead every month in commemoration.

10:30 pm and before –
WHO: Protesters
WHERE: Mong Kok station
WHAT:
Following a day-time rally, some black bloc protesters vandalised some of the facilities in Mong Kok stationSome of the protesters got on a train to the displeasure of several passengers

a middle aged asian man waving a hammer

10:40 pm –
WHO: Passengers, a middle-aged man and protesters
WHERE: Kwun Tong line to Tiu King Ling at Platform 3 in Prince Edward station
WHAT:
An argument broke out between some of the passengers and the Protesters.The middle-aged man took out a metal hammer and waved it in the air.In response, the protesters took out an extinguisher and sprayed it in the train carriage. White vapour filled the carriage.The protesters alleged that the passengers tried to attack reporters and started to fight back by miming kicks at passengers.Through the opened carriage door, they threw water bottles and other objects at each other. At one point, the protesters tried to snatch the phone of a passenger that seemed to be taking close snapshots of a protester’s face and in the commotion, shattered a glass door.There was a station broadcast for all passengers to leave the trains and that the station was to close down

2 photos picturing the scenes described in the below text

10: 56 pm –
WHO: Passengers, the Raptors (Special Tactical Squad) and the riot police, protesters
WHERE: Tsuen Wan line to Central at Platform 4 and the carriage there at the time in Prince Edward Station
WHAT:
Around 100 members of the Raptors and riot police arrived at the site opposite to the platform where the conflict broke out and beat passengers and protesters, many of which had no protective gear on (a hallmark of protesters), indiscriminately with their batons.Many of the victims had head injuries and bled from their scalps.There was footage of the police shouting “Come on out” at the passengers while waving the pepper spray bottle around and pointing their batons at passengers.Some passengers pleaded “We are all just civilians. Please don’t spray us.”Pepper spray was deployed.Passengers and protesters screamed and cried. Some used their umbrellas as shields against the police.Some passengers were tackled or pulled from the carriage to the platform by the Raptors and subsequently arrested. Some passengers were forced to squat facing the wall with their arms raised for ARREST. Some passengers were kicked and beaten by several officers on the floor.In the commotion, many passengers rushed to escalators and stairs while the Raptors and riot police chased after them. They were also beaten and arrested. Some of the victims fainted from their wounds.

11:00 pm -
WHO: Volunteer First-aiders (FA), wounded passengers, the Ambulance Services, riot police and Raptors
WHERE: Prince Edward Station platforms 3 and 4
WHAT:
A FA found 3 victims, one of which had a 3-5 cm deep cut on their scalp. Some of the FAs had to borrow tissues and menstruation pads to staunch the bleeding of the victims.The shape of the wounds was different from baton wounds earlier in the year, creating rumours that the police might have illegally modified the batons. The rumours spread even more after a policeman was spotted with a metal embellishment on his baton during the march in Yuen Long on 27 July 2019. The Ambulance Services later arrived on the scene due to reports of injury at 11:05 and treated some of the victims.

screenshot of a video with a man in white bleeding from the head

11:12 pm – 11:17 pm –
WHO: Paramedics, reporters, riot police and Raptors, MTR Corporation, FAs
WHERE: Prince Edward station, Yau Ma Tei station
WHAT:
The riot police and Raptors evicted the reporters, FAs and paramedics from Prince Edward station at 11:12 pm.At 11:14 pm, the MTR Corporation announced that all stations in Kwun Tong line and Tsuen Wan line were to close down.At 11:17 pm, more ambulances arrived at Prince Edward station exit E but the station’s gates were down. They did not manage to get in. Raptors and the riot police told them that there was no one injured at Prince Edward station, as admitted by the Hong Kong Police Force spokesperson.Yau Ma Tei station shut down. At exit A2 of Yau Ma Tei station, FAs cried and pleaded for the riot police and Raptors to allow them in. The riot police and Raptors responded by saying “There is nothing you can do. You can keep talking though.” St. John’s Ambulances also arrived but were turned away.A FA outside of Yau Ma Tei station said that they were in the station before eviction and saw 4 wounded victims.
11:30 pm –
WHO: Ambulance Services, riot police and Raptors
WHERE: Special train service by the MTR Corporation, Prince Edward MTR station
WHAT:
A special train took the Ambulance Services to Prince Edward station.3 FAs who refused to leave were detained while facing the wall.An ambulance arrived at Yau Ma Tei station. An Ambulance Officer Trainee was allowed in. They logged 10 – 15 injured passengers in the Incident Log and later changed it to 3, only to change it back to 10 again.
12:15 a.m -
WHO: The Hong Kong Police Force
WHERE: Prince Edward station
WHAT:
The Hong Kong Police Force spokesperson admitted that an officer told the ground at Prince Edward station exit E that there was no one injured.But allowed them in after checking with them, according to the Hong Kong Police Force.According to the Event Date Time log of the Incident Log (i.e. real-time logging during the date of the event), there were 10 injured passengers at the time.
12: 36 – 1:02 a.m. -
WHO: The Fire Service, paramedics
WHERE: Unknown
WHAT:
The Incident Log of the Fire Service, which the Ambulance Service is under, was left completely blank for this periodSome of the actions logged at the Event Date Time were erased or changed three days to ten days after 31 August 2019, several hours before the press conferences on 2 September 2019 and 10 September 2019The Incident Log mentioning the numbers also changed from 10 in the Event Date Time to 7 subsequently.
1:00 a.m.
WHO: Paramedics, wounded passengers, riot police and Raptors
WHERE: Special Train Service by the MTR Corporation, Lai Chi Kok station
WHAT:
The special train service took the three parties to the hospital at Lai Chi Kok station.

mountains of white flowers outside prince edward station

Aftermath -
• Simon, one of the victims that day, had a concussion from the attack. The long-term negative effects from the concussion, which includes frequent dizziness and headaches that seriously impact his daily life, have been debilitating. He has been medicated for the dizziness, nausea, and damage to his crania nerves.
• Sonia, a victim who was arrested on the day, still has flashbacks and panic attacks when she passes Prince Edward station on the train.
• Both of the aforementioned victims were arrested for unlawful assembly. Simon, in particular, was arrested when he was hospitalised.
• Due to the unsatisfactory answers given on 1 September 2019, 2 September 2019 and 10 September 2019 by the Police Force and the Fire Service, rumours started to circulate that some of the wounded passengers died on the police’s watch.
• Every month after 31 August 2019, people gathered at Prince Edward station to put flowers and joss sticks there, a common practice done in tribute to the dead in Chinese culture. By the fourth month, the police started to deploy water cannons and pepper spray at those who gathered and mass-arrested attendees.
• Prince Edward station was closed on the monthly commemoration of the day by night-time. In the seventh month after 31 August 2019, the MTR station was closed down at 4 pm and was heavily guarded by the police.

Sources
P. 253- 265 Storm in Hong Kong 2019, Initium Media

WAYS YOU CAN HELP

g hands against a victoria harbour night

This section is being continually updated, check in for petitions and links to donate

10.1 Day of mourning

protesters marching with a black banner

What started off as just another day of protesting, deliberately staged on the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China’s birth, took a turn for the worse as live ammunition was used for the first time, severely wounding one protester. Protests sprouted all over the city, and by nightfall it was a battlefield of fire and tear gas.

Why is the day significant?

October 1st is National Day in China, and October 1st, 2019 happened to be the 70th anniversary of China under the Chinese Communist Party’s rule. In the morning, celebrations for the National Day were held in Beijing, attended by Xi Jinping and Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, it was designated ‘a day of mourning’ by the Civil Human Rights Front for the victims of the Chinese Communist Party (the CCP)’s rule.

major protest events

October 1st Day of mourning • “Blossoms” in 6 districts
Peaceful rallies were set to be held in 6 of Hong Kong’s 18 districts, namely Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Wan Chai, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, and Sha Tin. They gathered in front of government offices and stadiums and chanted slogans.

Hong Kong Island peaceful rally
The Civil Human Rights Front originally organized a march on the day under the theme “No celebration of National Day, just national mourning”. However, the application and subsequent appeal were both rejected by the Hong Kong Police Force, who are responsible for giving permits to rallies and marches. Set along the same path, a peaceful march was led by four politicians from Causeway Bay down to Central. The estimated turnout was one hundred thousand people.

British consulate rally
The organization Britons in Hong Kong launched a rally outside the British consulate. Demonstrators held the British flag and raised their BNO passports in the air and sang the British national anthem. They also held signs with slogans like ‘Joint Declaration is DEAD’ and ‘Proud to be British since 1841,’ and urged the British government to repeal the Sino-British Joint Statement to protect British nationals in Hong Kong.

rally attendees hold up british flags and signs

OTHER PROTEST EVENTS ON THE DAY

Flag raising ceremony demonstration

At 8 am, two socialist groups marched to where National Day celebrations were being held with a black coffin prop on their shoulders, calling the CCP a ‘butcher of an administration.’ There was a brief clash between the protesters and those celebrating.

Clog the Racecourse
In response to the National Day horse racing event, citizens instigated ‘Clog the Racecourse,’ where they bought out the seats in Racecourse, Sha Tin, with big banners and microphones and sang Glory to Hong Kong, the Hong Kong democracy and freedom movement anthem.

Black bloc choir singing Glory to Hong Kong
A group of black bloc protesters gathered outside a temple in Wong Tai Sin to sing Glory to Hong Kong peacefully.

Battle roar and drumming
A common feature of the protests by then, protesters hollered slogans like ‘Glory to Hong Kong/Revolution of our time’ and beat umbrellas against objects to mimic war drumming.

notable tactics used + facts about the protests

Burning the flag and related banners and items
On the 70th national day of the CCP, protesters tore down National Day banners and Chinese flags and burned them. It serves as a statement about the beliefs of the protesters and is a show of defiance against the CCP on their national day. They also burned portraits of Xi Jinping and Carrie Lam.

Protesting in nearly every district
Besides being a strategy to give the police a headache in having to try and ‘control’ the protesters while also diverting the police’s manpower in containing the protesters, it reflects the popular opinion held by Hong Kongers.

Widespread pre-planned protesting and demonstrating on China’s National Day
A deliberate plan on the protesters’ part, it shows that Hong Kongers do not see the Chinese National Day as a day of celebration; instead, it is a day of mourning and anger. It separates Hong Kongers from the ideals of the CCP, and highlights the intensity of the unrest and rage felt by the protesters.

Vandalizing buildings and spraying grafitti
Protesters targeted businesses that have Chinese headquarters or business ties to China, such as a Starbucks store that was owned by Maxim, the owner of which has expressed strong support for the government’s heavy-handed approach towards the protesters. They also sprayed symbols of the protest and slogans on the walls. This is both a way to express their discontent with the CCP, and a way to boycott those businesses. No staff in the stores were injured in these vandalization movements.

Tossing joss paper and blowing a bamboo trumpet as they marched
Joss paper is burned at funerals, as it is believed to send the deceased person riches in their afterlife. The bamboo trumpet is also traditionally blown at funerals. As protesters marched in the streets, joss paper was tossed into the air, and a protester blew a bamboo trumpet as they led the crowd in singing Glory to Hong Kong. Both of these cement the idea that October 1st is a day of mourning for Hong Kongers, and is further insult to the CCP on their national day.

a joss paper floats around a protester wearing a guy fawkes mask

People not on the streets supporting those on the streets
Restaurants opened their doors to protesters fleeing the police and tear gas, and passengers on buses pressed their hands, fingers outstretched to signify the 5 demands of the Hong Kong protesters, to those of the protesters on the other side of the window. These are but two of the examples of the overarching support for this movement all over the city.

HOW DID THE POLICE RESPOND?

Despite all rallies and demonstrations starting off peaceful that day, the police began using force with little warning. The black bloc choir was threatened with force before they dispersed; the “blossoms” in 6 districts rallies and the Hong Kong Island march were both met with riot police, and the resulting clashes turned the rallies into protests.

The police deployed tear gas to disperse protesters, and had water cannon trucks (able to spray water at a velocity enough to be injurious) with blue dye fire at them. In one instance, the police kettled protesters and sprayed them with tear gas. The riot police and ‘Raptors’ also rushed out to beat protesters, tackling them to the floor and arresting them. Journalists and reporters were harrassed and intimidated by the police, and multiple reporters have given accounts that they were kicked at, shoved, and screamed at.

protesters running away from a water cannon truck on a road

Rubber bullets were fired at protesters, as was the norm by then. However, live rounds were shot at protesters for the first time since the protests started in June 2019.

LIVE ROUNDS USED

6 live rounds were reported to have been used that day. Before October 1st, live rounds had only been shot into the air as a warning. On the day, some of the live rounds were fired at protesters to disperse them.

One of the live rounds was fired when a group of protesters were beating a police officer on the ground with rods. Another police officer rushed over, pistol drawn, and kicked one of the protesters, surnamed Tsang, away before firing at near point-blank range into his chest. He fell to the ground, bleeding heavily from the chest, and was tended to by FAs before being sent to a nearby hospital.

Reports later on confirmed that Tsang was in Form 5 (11th grade) and was 18 years old. The bullet punctured his lung, and was 3 cm (1.2 inches) away from his heart. He was one of the two protesters reported to be in critical condition.

aftermath

By 10 pm that night, 66 people were confirmed to be injured. The youngest aged a mere 11; the oldest, 75. Two protesters were in critical condition and two more were in serious condition. Reports say that 1400 canisters of tear gas were deployed on the day, with 269 arrests made, both breaking records since the protests had started.

Multiple people and organizations, including British politician Alistair Carmichael, Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor director Law Yuk-kai, and the UK-based charity Hong Kong Watch, spoke up after Tsang was shot, calling for de-escalation and for more to be done about the unacceptable force used. All of them condemned the usage of a live round, and several said that this was a frightening display of the increasing police brutality against the protesters.

The police force said that they ‘did not want to see anyone being injured’ and felt ‘very sad’ about the 18 year old shot with a live round, but that they ‘warn rioters to stop breaking the law immediately, as we will strictly enforce the law.’ They have also said that the police officer shot the student because he ‘felt his life was under serious threat.’ They insisted that using the live round was ‘lawful and reasonable.’

The day following Tsang’s critical injury, there was a rally at the secondary school Tsang attended as the school had not condemned the actions of the police.

Tsang was arrested on three charges, rioting and two counts of assault charges, a few days after his life-threatening injury. He was still hospitalized at the time. As of 15th August, 2020, he has applied for Legal Aid, but was rejected by the Legal Aid authorities for bringing a personal injury claim against the Hong Kong Police Force.

On 18th May, 2020, 15 politicians, including the 4 who led the Hong Kong Island march, were arrested and tried for charges like unlawful assembly. As of 28th June, 2020, 19 protesters have been tried in court for various charges for participating in the 10.1 protests.

an mtr station burns behind a protester in a guy fawkes mask

Sources