Protesters and police clash in Hong Kong
Meanwhile, Carrie Lam wants “dialogue”
With protesters Beijing is calling Despicable.
Welcome to China Uncensored.
I’m Chris Chappell.
It’s been another intense week in Hong Kong.
Protests have gone on for over 100 days.
And experts say if you can do a thing for two months,
it becomes a habit—
so I guess this is just what Hong Kong
is going to be like from now on.
Unless the Chinese regime comes in to help them form a new habit.
Anyway, this past weekend,
hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets
despite the fact that police had banned those protests.
And the police once again used
one of the newest weapons in their arsenal—
one with a colorful twist:
Spraying people with blue dye.
This way, the protesters
can be easily identified by the police.
And Gargamel.
So you do not want to be in the splash zone.
Just like at a Gallagher show.
That’s a current reference, right?
And like Gallagher,
the Hong Kong protesters are truly despicable.
At least according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
For clarity, that’s what they’re saying about the protesters,
not Gallagher.
I’m not sure what their opinion of Gallagher is.
Anyway, roll clip.
“I just want to say that those people
who went to the British Consulate General in Hong Kong
and requested for the rights of citizenship and qualification,
I wondered if they can still be called the real Chinese people.
For a Chinese person to beg a foreign government
to interfere is really despicable.
It's definitely not something you can be proud of.”
Wait, does this mean Hong Kongers
don’t have to be called Chinese people anymore,
and can have their own identity as Hong Kongers?
No, that’s not the point of her insult.
Which is a shame,
because October 1st is China’s National Day.
That’s the day that celebrates
the Communist takeover of China.
And in a move that will really punish Hong Kong,
they’re cancelling the fireworks display.
“China's National Day is often marked with elaborate fireworks.
But that's not the case in Hong Kong this year,
with the government cancelling the display—
citing concerns over ‘public safety.’”
Don’t worry,
Hong Kong is going to see plenty of fireworks on October 1st.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam
continues to turn a deaf ear to protesters’ demands.
Instead, she’s doubling down on her defense of Hong Kong police.
But just because she’s completely ignoring protesters,
doesn’t mean she’s not willing to listen.
She’s planning to host public dialogues
as part of a new style of people-oriented governance.
And it’s totally not a gimmick.
“We are going into a new style governance,
that is more open and more people oriented...
I can assure you that this is
not the sort of one-off gimmick type of function
it is intended to be a very organised,
on a very sustainable,
and perhaps long-term basis.”
Of course, saying it’s not a gimmick
fills people with confidence that it’s really not a gimmick.
Each session will have 200 hundred “randomly” selected citizens.
But pro-democracy Hong Kong Legislator Tanya Chan
says protesters already have been as clear as possible.
“I don't see any kind of meaningful reasons
to have a dialogue with Mrs Carrie Lam.
I mean all our demands are so clear from the very beginning
and she knows it very well,
and if she keeps on telling us
that (there will be) no commission of inquiry,
no universal suffrage,
then I think that is the end of it.
So, it is not fruitful to meet her at all.”
Now, meeting with US legislators,
that might be fruitful.
On September 17, Hong Kong activists,
including people I’ve interviewed on the show
like Joshua Wong and Denise Ho,
asked US lawmakers for help in their fight for freedom.
“The movement is far from over
because it has long moved beyond one bill or one person.
Our most important demand is general in Hong Kong,
which means free election.
Our government's lack of representation
lies at the heart of the matter.”
“It is a global fight.
We are on the frontlines of this global fight
to protect these universal values that we all cherish.”
In fact, the Hong Kong protesters are such a global fight,
they’ve managed to bring together
the most hated of opponents known to man:
soccer hooligans.
On Wednesday,
hundreds of soccer fans from opposing teams protested together,
defying everything we’ve come to know of soccer fans.
“You know, we are fans of different football clubs,
and usually we are enemy on the field during the match.
But in such situation in Hong Kong now,
even enemy become friends;
we united because we also fight for freedom,
we ask for a better Hong Kong,
that's why we are here today.”
And yet despite that positive sign of unity,
credit rating agency Moody’s has downgraded
Hong Kong’s outlook to negative.
Is it because of those no-good despicable
Hong Kong protesters?
No, actually.
It’s more likely because the Chinese government’s
growing control over Hong Kong
makes it a less attractive place to do business.
Which is crazy talk, according to Carrie Lam.
“To change outlook of Hong Kong's rating from stable to negative
of course it's something we find disappointing
and we do not concur,
especially if the justification for that sort of change in outlook
was premised on whether we are still upholding
‘on country, two systems.’”
And yet Moody’s didn’t listen!
Poor Carrie Lam.
Can you imagine what it feels like when people don’t listen to you?
But for those of you watching around the world,
you can now take a piece of the Hong Kong protests
home with you—
with Hong Kong protester action figures!
“Actually, let's put in this way.
By making these toys,
we capture protesters in different forms during the protests.
We have demonstrators, or protesters, of different ages,
and you can see that they wear different apparel.
We are trying to capture their way of dressing.”
I hope that means someday
there’ll be a Chris Chappell action figure.
At least...two people would buy it.
What’s that, Shelley?
Fine.
One person would buy it.
And now it’s time for me to answer
a question from one of you,
a fan who supports us through Patreon—
which I might remind you is critical to our continued coverage,
since YouTube demonetizes most of our Hong Kong episodes.
Paul Niu asks,
“Why can't the neighbouring countries
do the same thing in return but on a bigger scale
That’s in reference to our recent episode
about China’s Maritime Militia.
Be sure to check it out.
Basically, the Communist Party has a more or less civilian fleet
that’s tied to the Chinese military.
It uses this fleet to harass other countries’ ships.
The idea is,
it’s a way for China to bully other countries
without getting their military directly involved,
but if other countries retaliate,
then China will send in the military saying they were provoked.
It’s a kind of evil genius—
the Communist Party’s favorite kind of genius.
So why don’t other countries do the same thing?
Well, the primary victims are other southeast Asian nations,
countries that don’t have the kind of military power
China does to back up that kind of threat.
The reason this works from China is no one
wants to actually get into a war with China.
So China can push the envelope way further than any other country.
Of course, the risk is someday
the maritime militia might push things too far.
And then we’d all be playing a real life version of Battleship.
Thanks for your question, Paul.
And thank you for your support.
Visit Patreon.com/ChinaUncensored and contribute
so that we can keep making great episodes for you.
Once again, I’m Chris Chappell.
See you next time.