Chai Brady
Anti-extradition bill protesters hold placards for arriving travellers during a protest at Hong Kong International Airport on August 9.
Photo: CNS Chai Brady discusses Hong Kong’s mass protests and fears of military intervention
Large-scale protests have caused massive disruption in Hong Kong with the unpredictable situation continuing to draw the gaze of international communities. Speculation that an imminent military intervention from Beijing continues to grow.
Protestors have used several forms of civil disobedience to highlight opposition to a bill tabled by Hong Kong’s government that was seen to give mainland China more power over the region, further reducing its autonomy.
Regarding military intervention by mainland China, an Irish Jesuit based in the country for almost 70 years said it would be “most unlikely, that would be the end of one country two systems. I don’t have any fear of that”.
Based at Wah Yan College in Kowloon, Fr John Russell (93) said he is not concerned about the mass protests, dubbing Hong Kong a “safe place”.
Future
Fr Russell, whose missionary work in Hong Kong began in 1951, said that the people are “peaceful” and “sensible” generally, and he does not fear for the state’s future.
However, Irish Columban Fr Michael Cuddigan SSC told The Irish Catholic that there are very real fears of intervention by the military, “but I think they’ll hold off as long as possible, a time could come that they would I think”.
Fr Cuddigan, originally from Midleton in Cork, has been in Hong Kong for seven years after serving in the Philippines for many years, he is currently the rector of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel.
Fr Russell said if people from Hong Kong could be sent to mainland China to face trial, they would not be treated fairly”
“It started with the extradition bill and there was no give on the government’s side and then it kind of widened out from there, and they’re talking about freedom from mainland China which doesn’t go down very well,” he said.
Protests began when the Hong Kong government proposed a bill that would have extended the number of territories prisoners could be extradited to, including mainland China.
It received international and domestic criticism spanning from groups in the legal profession, journalist organisations, business groups, and foreign governments fearing the erosion of Hong Kong’s legal system.
The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 drove millions of people to take to the streets on many occasions over the summer. Protestors have vehemently opposed it believing it would undermine Hong Kong’s already limited autonomy within China.
Fr Russell said if people from Hong Kong could be sent to mainland China to face trial, they would not be treated fairly.
“It’s this extradition bill, the government have said they’re not going to pursue it, but the protesters want more than that, they want them never to go back on it at all. If people were to be extradited to the mainland, that would be a bad idea,” he said.
In an unusual move, the Church in Hong Kong raised its voice regarding the legislation. The rare political intervention by the Diocese of Hong Kong came at a time when public outcry and protests were escalating with several violent incidents documented in June. Some cardinals and clergy even engaged in the protests.
In one of two statements, the diocese urged the government “not to rush to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance before responding to the doubts of the legalists and the public on the draft”.
Their June 11 statement urged restraint, and that both sides “seek a solution that is in accordance with the principles of justice and jurisprudence through peaceful means”.
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun SDB, a vocal critique of Beijing and retired bishop of Hong Kong, and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing joined one million protestors on June 9. This historic march was the largest since the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
On the same day Cardinal Zen wrote on his Twitter page: “All people HKers should join! At the beginning of the rally, all Christians, including the vicar general of HK diocese and clergies, pray together and determine ourselves to say NO to this evil law.”
On June 12, protests outside the country’s Legislative Council descended into violence as police and protestors clashed leading to 79 people being injured. Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and bean-bag rounds at charging demonstrators, who flung bricks, metal poles and other objects at the officers.
Three days later Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam, who is Catholic, said the government would suspend the bill indefinitely, but this wasn’t enough, as the next day, on June 16, an estimated two million people took to the streets calling for the full withdrawal of the bill – a quarter of the city’s population.
This was Hong Kong’s largest ever protest.
***
It’s not just one cardinal who has weighed in on the sensitive, politically charged situation. Cardinal John Tong Hon, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Hong Kong, and the chairman of the Hong Kong Christian Council called for the bill to be completely withdrawn along with Rev. Eric So Shing-yit, who leads a council that includes 21 churches.
They also appealed to the special administrative region (SAR) government to “launch a thorough independent inquiry” into clashes between police and protesters opposed to the bill days earlier.
The two religious leaders said they accepted Ms Lam’s second public apology on June 18 for the conflict over the extradition bill.
Regarding the ecumenical letter, Fr Cuddigan said that “Carrie Lam is a Catholic, so they gave their view to her that it would be good to reconsider”.
“She is backed by the government, and the other thing is the executive council in Hong Kong, that rules Hong Kong, they were all elected, chosen ahead of time by the government in mainland China and then they condescendingly let the people in Hong Kong choose which ones they wanted, which is not a free election, so they’re looking for free election here as well.
The executive council in Hong Kong, that rules Hong Kong, they were all elected, chosen ahead of time by the government in mainland China and then they condescendingly let the people in Hong Kong choose which ones they wanted”
“It has moved out from just the extradition bill. One country two systems and China is not going to give up on that.”
In reissuing her apology, Ms Lam told reporters that she accepted much of the responsibility for the “deficiencies in the work of the SAR government over the amendment exercise”.
“This has led to controversies, disputes and anxieties in society. For this I offer my most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong.”
However, she did not agree to protesters’ demands to withdraw the extradition bill, retract the characterisation of the June 12 protest as a “riot”, seek responsibility from the police over instances of brutality, drop charges against protesters and resign as the city’s leader.
Although the bill hasn’t been formally withdrawn, Ms Lam later said on July 9 that the “bill is dead”, the amendment process had been stopped and there were no plans to restart the process by the Legislative Council.
It’s dead in the water we would say at home [the extradition bill] and I think that’s presumed – it’s dead. But you see they didn’t say they’ve cancelled it full stop, it’s only on standby so to speak”
Despite this, protests have continued and show no sign of abating. The extradition legislation was submitted on April 3, followed by protests by over 100,000 people on April 28. Since then there has been about 30 days of protest action, with the biggest marches taking place over the summer.
“My feeling is the government isn’t going to give in, because any bit of give is seen as a weakness,” said Fr Cuddigan.
“By all standards…it’s dead in the water we would say at home [the extradition bill] and I think that’s presumed – it’s dead. But you see they didn’t say they’ve cancelled it full stop, it’s only on standby so to speak, it could be brought up again and the people here in Hong Kong don’t believe in fair trial in mainland China.”
There’s a lot of “anxiety and fear around, about what’s going to happen”, he said, “I think the students are going to keep at this for a long time more.
“It’s a very hierarchical society, the head of the house decides and everybody kowtows, and you see the students have got a taste of freedom and independence and they’re not going to give in, I think this is going to continue for quite a while yet.”
***
Many of the Faithful in Hong Kong have been very active in both protesting the extradition legislation and calling for peaceful marches while denouncing violence.
The Christian hymn ‘Sing Hallelujah to the Lord’ is said to have become the anthem of the protests; very different from many other protest songs used around the world.
The hymn was sung non-stop at the main protest sight in front of the city’s Legislative Council, at marches and even at tense stand-offs with the police.
Religious songs
It’s reported to have started with a group of Christian students who sang several religious songs at the main protest site, with ‘Sing Hallelujah to the Lord’ catching on among the crowd, even though only about 10% of Hong Kong people are Christian.
“This was the one people picked up, as it is easy for people to follow, with a simple message and easy melody,” Edwin Chow (19), who is acting president of the Hong Kong Federation of Catholic Students, told Reuters.
The students also sang the songs in the hope of providing a cover of legitimacy for the protest. Religious gatherings can be held without a permit in the financial hub.
“As religious assemblies were exempt, it could protect the protesters. It also shows that it is a peaceful protest,” Mr Chow said.
Protestors said the hymn has a calming effect both on the crowd, but also on police.
Fr Cuddigan said: “It’s become a national song of calling for protests, the religious leaders across the board have been on protests and remember Christians are a minority here, it’s basically a Buddhist country.”
Violence will only create more violence. Hatred will only produce more hatred. Injustice will never achieve justice. History will prove that only peace and reason can establish a long-term peace”
“The young people are the future of Hong Kong, but of course they’re not too worried about the economic level at this stage. Now what will happen when they go back to school in September, if they do go back – the college students – will things fall apart or will they continue on the weekends? It is quite possible that might happen.
More recently over 1,000 Catholics gathered on August 8 for a candlelit vigil. Bishop Ha spoke at it, saying: “Violence will only create more violence. Hatred will only produce more hatred. Injustice will never achieve justice. History will prove that only peace and reason can establish a long-term peace.”
The bishop pointed out that the root cause of the demonstrations lay with the Hong Kong government, which he said had no excuse for its actions.
Keeping the peace was something of a “mission impossible” for police, he said, because the current problems were rooted in politics, not security.
Bishop Ha also admitted that the city was full of emotion and people are unsure of what to do in response to the Hong Kong government’s actions. “But at least we can stop for a while and give each other a cooldown period to think about what to do next,” he suggested.
Demands
Speaking of the bishop’s address Fr Cuddigan said: “The churches have been calling for a ‘cooling off’ period, they’re not talking to each other or listening to each other really at the moment: the protestors, the police.
“They’re not really listening to each other, young people are demanding and the other people aren’t giving one inch, so there’s frustration building up. Nobody knows what will happen next.
“Protestors want freedom of choice of the political leaders in Hong Kong, as of now the panel of leaders have already been chosen by the government and then they allow the people in Hong Kong to choose from them, so that’s not freedom of choice.”
Fears for many Hong Kong Catholics are that if Beijing continues to dissolve the autonomies allowed within their jurisdiction, it may move its state-run religious management model into the city.
In the mainland, state control is actualised by the Catholic Patriotic Association, which is controlled by the ruling Communist Party through its United Front Work Department.
Despite calls for calm, police tactics have become increasingly violent and protestors have continued to change their tactics including the use of flash mobs, laser pointers to confuse facial recognition devices and strikes to shut down major roads, tram lines and this month hundreds of flights at Hong Kong International airport were cancelled after days of targeted protest. It’s believed over 600 protestors have been arrested so far.
Clashes
In addition to clashes with police, gangs wearing white have been filmed violently beating protestors – who generally wear black. The videos show them using bamboo sticks, steel rods and other implements.
Hong Kong police detained six men in connection with the attacks, one of which happened at a train station in July. Some of the offenders came from rural parts of Yuen Long. They ranged in age from 24 to 54, and their occupations included drivers, hawkers and renovation workers, according to a senior police official, Chan Tin-chu.
“Some of them have triad backgrounds,” he told reporters, referring to organised crime syndicates that hold sway over certain neighbourhoods in Hong Kong.
I think a lot of people in Hong Kong, those who have the money, if it comes to the worse they’ll just pack their bags and leave Hong Kong because many of them have dual passports”
Triads have been linked to attacks on pro-democracy protestors in the past, with commentators saying that because some triads have no political allegiances, money is their only incentive.
This has led to speculation they were paid by someone who wants to put an end to protests. Ms Lam has denied any collusion with the triads in relation to the attacks.
“Everything was going along nicely and then you’ve got outside parties coming in, bringing violence with them,” said Fr Cuddigan, “the triads who would be seen as backing Beijing they attacked – one night in the station – the pro-democracy group, which are mostly students. Then of course you’ll have some people who would have transferred from mainland China to Hong Kong and they are pro-mainland China.”
He added that the triads are also seen as “backing the police”, and that “the police have been quite strong in their reaction, violence wise, so they’re looking for an objective board to examine their behaviour. It’s widening out and getting a bit messy.”
***
With battles taking place in the streets, online and in politics domestically and abroad, the situation has become increasingly serious. Sightings of paramilitary police massing in the Chinese border city of Shenzhen has heightened speculation there will be military intervention ordered from Beijing.
Thousands of members of China’s People’s Armed Police (PAP), who are used to tackle internal unrest, are reported to be doing drills at Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre, and arrived about three weeks ago.
Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the UK, told a press conference this month that Beijing was prepared to use its full power put an end to protests.
Fr Cuddigan said: “The great fear is that mainland China will come in on the heavy with their troops, they are practicing in Shenzhen which is just over the border but I think the memory of Tiananmen Square will slow them down and plus they want to look good in front of the world.
“I think a lot of people in Hong Kong, those who have the money, if it comes to the worse they’ll just pack their bags and leave Hong Kong because many of them have dual passports. We’re into this now about 11 weeks or more and it’s going to continue a lot longer.”
By most accounts a military intervention would be a disaster, leading to heightened violence and fatalities. Although Hong Kong veteran Fr Russell told this paper from his home in Kowloon, where some protests have taken place: “They’re a peaceful people, not violent. Violence can break out but it would be most unusual”, it seems it’s becoming an increasing possibility, which many people are trying to stop at all costs.