Bankers, businessmen, tourists, and even ordinary Hongkongers could be arrested and sent to China for trials of alleged crimes and fabricated accusations. Hong Kong will cease to be a free economic zone, which has long served the world’s most prominent businesses.
journalist, Human rights activist, or anyone who stands different opinions/values
just my 2 cents
The Chinese government once again showed its true colors to the world through the proposal of the Extradition Law Amendment Bill in Hong Kong, a bill that not only destroys the autonomy of Hong Kong, but also endangers all foreigners residing, visiting, or even merely transiting through this bastion of freedom and liberty. [1]
Despite millions of protesters turning out in two consecutive Sundays, and a large-scale peaceful gathering that turned violent when the Hong Kong Police Force unleashed disproportionate force on peaceful protesters, with various well-documented instances of police brutality:
1) riot police chucking tear gas grenades right at a local politician; [2]
2) shooting tear gas canisters in the middle of a cornered and panicking crowd (which almost turned into Hillsborough 2.0) [3];
3) riot police spraying an unarmed and injured man in the face with pepper spray;
4) threatening to shoot journalists; [4]
Even now, numerous protesters were unjustly arrested, with many more suffering from various degrees of injury, some of whom were too scared to go to the hospital for fear of having their personal particulars leaked to the Police unconstitutionally. [5]
The situation has since simmered down to an uneasy stalemate, with the Hong Kong SAR government (and perhaps their true masters in Beijing) steadfastly refusing our demands to i) completely withdraw the amendment bill, ii) drop all charges against the arrested protesters, and iii) promising that there will be no repercussions to all who participated in the 12th June protest outside the government headquarters. More protests have been planned in the lead-up to the G20 summit in Osaka, and enterprising netizens have even purchased ads on major newspapers around the world.
We pray that our efforts would eventually bear fruit, but even if by some miracle that the government does accede to our demands, it will not end there. The SAR government (and again, their masters in Beijing) will retaliate against this slap in their face with even more draconian measures like disqualifying lawfully elected legislators with ridiculous interpretations of the Hong Kong Basic Law (pretty much our Constitution) and digging up outdated precedents to give out harsh prison sentences to protesters [6].
Our beautiful city, our Pearl of the Orient, our Fragrant Harbor, edges ever closer to the dark valley of totalitarianism since 1997.
But we will never give up without a fight.
We will not go quietly into the night.
For better or worse, our years under British rule taught us the true worth of freedom and liberty, and the importance of a functional democracy (or at least, we’ve seen how badly can things get without one).
Join us in the fight against totalitarianism by delivering our concerns and demands to your governments in view of the upcoming G20 summit.