Occupy Central protesters continued to gather in Central, Hong Kong on October 1, China’s National Day. The pro-democracy movement protested the Chinese government’s announcement that Hong Kong’s election candidates in 2017 will be chosen by a pro-Beijing committee. Originally led by students, the protest brought Hong Kong’s struggle to retain its independence from the Mainland government to world attention. To disperse the demonstrators, the Hong Kong police used aggressive crowd control tactics, which included batons, pepper spray, and tear gas. These methods garnered widespread criticism as it violated the Hong Kong citizens’ freedom of speech and assembly. Despite the police response, the protesters remained peaceful and unarmed. Eric Tsang Comments on Occupy Central At a charity banquet held on September 28, Eric Tsang (曾志偉) expressed his sadness over the Hong Kong police’s decision to use aggressive tactics on the demonstrators. He does not hope to see more harm and said everyone should have the right to express their opinions freely. He hopes everyone can unite together. Eric added, “I don’t think [the police] will open fire, but I’m afraid of infiltration by terrorists. The students want to solve the matter peacefully. Whenever [the students] see [the police], they would raise their arms, to show that they’re not violent.” Asked if the Hong Kong Performing Artistes’ Guild will monitor the events of the protests, Eric expressed that the Guild’s members have their own perspectives and respective differences on the matter. Therefore, the Guild will not release any official statement. Charmaine Sheh (佘詩曼), Candice Yu (余安安), and Jaime Chik (戚美珍) also expressed their shock at the police resorting to aggressive tactics. Maria Cordero (肥媽) broke into tears when she was asked about the protests. She stressed that the students are innocent and they should not have to suffer such treatment. Mentioning that the police had resorted to violence in an attempt to quell the protests, Maria cried and said, “Why has Hong Kong become like this? Do they [the police] not have children of their own? Do they not have mothers?” Maria said the current protests remind her of the leftist riots in 1967 in which demonstrators also clashed with the police, resulting in over 50 deaths. Maria is very upset to witness a similar scenario in Hong Kong again. Creds: East Week
