A beautiful Hong Kong against the extradition bill 香港加油
On 9th June 2019 over 1m people marched through the streets of Hong Kong to protest against the controversial extradition bill. This photo captures the busy Hennessy Road packed with people who have been joining the protest from early afternoon. It is beautiful as it reflects the passion and love of the Hong Kongers.
2019年6月9日，有103萬香港人上街遊行反對送中條例。 這條極具爭議性的條例不單止進一步剝削香港人的自由， 更會讓每一位逗留在香港的人，不管是本地，外國或遊客都受到威脅。
Photo credit : Apple Daily Newspaper
If the extradition bill is passed, it would allow China to extradict people from Hong Kong to be trialed in China. This includes Hong Kong citizens and anyone on Hong Kong soil, be it a foreigner, visitor or someone transiting through Hong Kong. That would include you and I if we were to visit Hong Kong for holiday. According to the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, China ranks 82 out of 126 globally. Its legal system is not trusted by many outside of the country, including the majority of the Hong Kong general public. Its view towards human rights is notorious. Furthermore, the proposed bill does not have any safeguard to guarantee a fair trial.
The govenment is eager to rush the bill through as quick as possible. It has only allowed 20 days for debate before it is voted by the pro Beijing Legislative Council. 3000 lawyers and others from the legal community have already held a silent march a few days ago to protest this proposed bill. Their views on the bill have fallen on deaf ears, and the government claims they do not understand the bill. When they asked to be englightened, the government did not respond.
It is no wonder that 1.03m people from Hong Kong have turned out to protest against this controversial extradition bill. The short video below is made by a Hong Kong journalist student Frances Hui. It provides a great overview of the how this charade started and how it erodes the freedom of Hong Kong further.