"Retreat, Retreat, Retreat" is a word commonly heard at the moment - if you're In Hong Kong
that is.
Thousands of people are taking part in what has now become a week long protest campaign
which has garnered media attention all over the world.
A series of what was supposed to be peaceful protests have taken place in Hong Kong's financial
district over the past seven days.
Brute force including the use of tear gas and pepper spray has been used by police and
government officials attempting to control the crowds.
Tens of thousands of people have been staging demonstrations, sit ins and night time vigils…in
what is being called the 'Umbrella Revolution' and it's easy to see why…
So, what are the protests about? Well, 'democracy' in a word - yes it's not
as simple as that, but in a nutshell some people in Hong Kong, notably the younger,
student generation are protesting for free elections.
Elections aren't scheduled to take place until 2017, but when they do, officials from China
want to limit elections to a handful of candidates who are loyal to the ruling Beijing.
The elections are the first ever for Hong Kong's leader and protesters want what they're
calling a 'real democracy'
- i.e the ability to have open nominations for candidates and not just those shortlisted
by the government.
Hong Kong is now a semi-autonomous City and was once a former British colony so these
elections, although three years away, are fundamentally important for it's people and
their long term goal of universal suffrage.
Peaceful marches are common place in Hong Kong so at first people didn't pay particular
attention to the marches when they began last week
but when police retaliated with force, things escalated out of control with people who weren't
originally involved in the protest, joining those on the streets to show their support.
These actually included families and pensioners.
Who are behind the protests? When China made its ruling about the elections,
Occupy Central who are democracy activists promised demonstrations, but it was actually
students in the city who kicked things off,
Last Friday things took a more dramatic turn when thousands stormed Hong Kong's government headquarters.
One of the student leaders, Joshua Wong who's become a bit of a worldwide hit since the
protests begun, was arrested.
He had told the crowds "Hong Kong's future belongs to you, you and you…" a feeling
that seems to be uniting the country and keeping the protests alive.
Once this happened, Occupy Central kicked off their campaign. The idea is to instigate
a mass disobedience movement
Its leader, Benny Tai is the organisations front-man and has been seen addressing the
crowds and urging protesters to blockade the heart of Hong Kong's financial district.
Whilst the feeling is mostly of support for their cause, the disruption to the city is
becoming increasingly substantial and tensions are mounting.
So what's it like being in the City in all this chaos?
- More than 200 bus routes have been cancelled or diverted; in a city that is dependent on
public transport,that has caused mayhem.
- Tube station exists have also been closed or blocked near protest areas
- Protesters camped on the highway near government headquarters to cause as much problems as possible
- Schools in three districts have even been closed
There been around 100 arrests
and 40-50 people have been injured and taken to hospital. This number is likely to increase as protests continue
Originally confined to the main financial district,
the protests are now affecting the cities shopping district, banks, shops
and some residential areas have been affected. We got hold of Lisa Utley who is a Canadian Journalism student
living in Hong Kong. Here's what she had to say.
Hong Kong is renowned for being an orderly
and affluent city that prides itself on its civility and freedom so these demonstrations
have shocked most people.
So what tactics have been deployed by the police to control the situation?
If anything, they've made the situation worse. Hong Kong police have cracked down with unbelievable
force.
Tear gas hasn't been used in Hong Kong since 2005 and many feel their actions are against
their civil and human rights and that the authorities are trying to bully them into
giving in.
Police have been dressed in blue jumpsuits, wearing helmets and doused protesters with
pepper spray - again many accuse the government of using
'scare tactics.'
In response protesters, refusing to back down, have been wearing home-made protective masks
and goggles to shield themselves from further tear gas and pepper spray attacks.
Like other modern-day protests, Social media has played its part in Hong Kong.
On Monday 28th September Instagram appeared to have been blocked by China and photos shared
on Weibo also appeared to be hidden if they contained certain keywords such as 'Occupy
Central' or 'Hong Kong Students.'
Social media is crucial in helping protesters plan their next campaign and organise their
rally's so these blockades could have been detrimental…this is where FireChat came in
So, Does everyone agree with the protests?
In a word - No.
Many worry that the protests which have already caused disruptions to banks and shops, will
have a negative effect on the economy.
Hong Kong is a seriously business-minded City and many workers are reluctant to take part in civil
disobedience or anger Beijing.
What's next for Hong Kong?
Protesters have called for Hong Kong's Chief Executive Mr Leung to step down, but he's
rejected their demands, saying that if that was to happen the next leader would be chosen
by a committee and not voters.
Officials says these 'illegal protests' wont change China's mind:
The worry is that military forces will intervene, more people will be hurt and China are warning
foreign countries not to get involved.
Who knows how long the campaign will go on for, but for the moment protests don't look to be subsiding anytime soon.