I am told these are supplies of rubber bullets and tear gas, arriving at chief executive building #OccupyHK pic.twitter.com/uL09YrtfQg
— Nathan VanderKlippe (@nvanderklippe) October 2, 2014
"No You Can't" - Beijing emitting a chilling message to Hong Kong’s umbrella revolution. (Quartz).
Here is the full text of the Chinese Communist Party’s message to Hong Kong.
HONG KONG—Beijing has a harshly worded message for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
Not only is Beijing unwilling to reconsider the August decision to allow only Communist Party-approved candidates to run for Hong Kong’s highest office, but Hong Kongers who continue to participate in the protests should expect dire consequences, an editorial in the People’s Daily newspaper warned today.
Some activists and analysts, including a former Tiananmen student leader, say the piece bears a marked similarity to a notorious editorial that ran the People’s Daily more than 25 years ago. That piece was later blamed for leading to the brutal crackdown on demonstrations, which killed hundreds or thousands, depending on estimates.
Today’s People’s Daily editorial (link in Chinese, our English translation here) says the Beijing stance on Hong Kong’s elections are “unshakable” and legally valid. It goes on to argue that the pro-democracy “Occupy Central” protests are illegal and are hurting Hong Kong. “If it continues, the consequences will be unimaginable,” the editorial warns.
Other editorials in state-run or state-affiliated media have weighed in on the protests in recent days, dubbing the participants “radical activists” and blaming unseen foreign forces for encouraging them. But the People’s Daily editorial carries more weight, appearing as it did first in the official government newspaper—though there is plenty of debate among China-watchers on this.
It blames the protests for breaking the “foundation of Hong Kong society,” by not following the rule of law, calls on all of Hong Kong to help restore order, and ultimately blames a small group for the demonstrations that have swelled into the tens of thousands: A few ‘Occupy Central’ people have, for their own self interest, ignored the law. They have incited the public, paralyzed transportation, disrupted businesses…and interfered with the daily lives of Hong Kong people. They should bear the legal responsibilities for their illegal activities.
The editorial advises Occupy Central’s participants to “stop all illegal behavior as soon as possible,” and return order and peace to Hong Kong.
It concludes: “If a few people are determined to go against the rule of law and provoke disturbances, in the end they will reap what they have sown.”
#BREAKING Hong Kong government tells pro-democracy protesters to 'disperse peacefully as soon as possible' @ChannelNewsAsia #OccupyHongKong
— Haidi Lun 伦海迪 (@HaidiLun) October 2, 2014
Hier (im Hintergrund) transportiert Polizist in #Hongkong Munition #occupycentral @BILD pic.twitter.com/qovHOiAz5Z
— Paul Ronzheimer (@ronzheimer) October 2, 2014
The scene on canton road rite now. #OccupyHongKong #OccupyCentral #UmbrellaMovement #tst pic.twitter.com/ylelL9RrHw
— Abhishek Desai (@AforArt) October 2, 2014
Massive roar of applause as 17-yr old Joshua Wong takes stage. Calls on supporters to mobilize tonight. #OccupyHK pic.twitter.com/LyJhAFdhVn
— Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) October 2, 2014
Crowd at main #OccupyHK protest site noticeably thinner than at similar time yesterday. Will it be less busy tonight? pic.twitter.com/zxU0Uaql7m
— Jethro Mullen (@jethromullen) October 2, 2014
Noticeable drop off in protest #OccupyHongKong numbers! As we have a midnight deadline for Chief Exec to resign pic.twitter.com/07lADp6cum
— Susan Li (@SusanLiTV) October 2, 2014
Hong Kong leader C.Y. Leung depicted as a turtle in chalk graffiti on road leading into main protest site #OccupyHK pic.twitter.com/P7PMjoDAPg
— Jethro Mullen (@jethromullen) October 2, 2014
.@wilfredchan tweeted some smart comments a few hours ago on where #OccupyHK is headed. #UmbrellaMovement pic.twitter.com/JRlB5yCoR1
— Andrew Peng (@TheAPJournalist) October 2, 2014
Police spotted near CE office:wooden cases contain Remington bullets&AR-15.In plastic bucket is tear gas #OccupyHK pic.twitter.com/zjwNcxU7aY
— Isabel K Wong (@IsabelWJourno) October 2, 2014
La polizia di #HongKong prepara 'small arms shotgun ammo' e sostanze corrosive #OccupyHongKong RT @Judy_Ngao: pic.twitter.com/O7HgkfO7to
— Eugenio Cau (@eugenio_cau) October 2, 2014
