It started with a mass protest on June 9, 2019 to demand the withdrawal of the government’s extradition bill which would have allowed the transfer of fugitives to mainland China, Macau and Taiwan. The bill was eventually withdrawn, but the protests have not died down.
Rupert Dover, who was making tactical calls for officers around Lung Wui Road that day, stands by his decision to use canisters of the irritant. Police needed to get to a government minister trapped in car beneath an underpass and the option was the safest given the circumstances, he says.
Constable was sent to protect district’s town hall on National Day when he was hit with corrosive liquid that dissolved skin and muscle. He spent nearly two months in hospital and will feel physical pain for the rest of his life, but says he harbours no anger towards his attacker.
Hongkongers are now accustomed to seeing fights between police and protesters; mess and mayhem and clouds of tear gas. Psychology professor says ‘people are habituated to violence’, while activist says ‘city needs more people with kind hearts and critical minds’.
For years, the city’s labour movement has been dominated by pro-Beijing voices deeply supportive of the government. But the social unrest lay the groundwork for employees in dozens of industries to organise, some for the first time.
The Chinese leadership once relied on a handful of families to help keep the city stable, but as residents’ anger swelled they blamed them for hoarding land. Although their influence has waned slightly, the moguls remain a pillar of power in Hong Kong.