Tens of thousands of people organize supplies and shelters to resist on the streets
WATCH VIDEO. Pro-democracy protesters gathered at Hong Kong They prepare for a long stay on the streets. At a stalemate in its confrontation with the autonomous executive and the central power, They assure that they will not give in until their demands are heard. And they threaten to take their actions even further.: the next step, they assure, will be to occupy government buildings.
The “umbrella revolution”” -the object that the protesters used to repel the police charges with tear gas on sunday and that has become a symbol of the protests- still standing. This Tuesday, tens of thousands of people gathered again in the streets around the headquarters of the autonomous government., nearly 100.000 according to the organizers. The brief storm that fell late in the afternoon failed to discourage them: If something abounds in the manifestation it is, precisely, umbrella.
48 hours after the police charge they declare more determined than ever to continue. They are becoming better equipped. Water supply points, food and towels, on Monday a mere agglomeration of boxes, This Tuesday they are already covered by tents. They have organized chains, precise like a clock, to collect garbage. Recycling stations have been installed in some areas: Broken and irreparable umbrellas are dismantled to take advantage of the waterproof fabric and send the metal to be reprocessed.
Among the thousands of very young boys dressed in black t-shirts, the uniform of the civil disobedience campaign, highlights the figure of Mr. Chow, of 75 years. He has been coming since the students began the first rallies in front of the government headquarters, a week ago. “The people are angry because the political system is strictly controlled by Beijing. Many legislators are close to the central government, It's a distorted system.. “Many things that could benefit Hong Kong have no chance of passing through the local parliament.”, complaint. According to him, Sunday's police charges have “persuaded citizens to fight for their rights”. He himself is willing to fight. “Even if he is old and sick”, assures, while showing off their asthma respirators, “I am willing to be arrested and go to jail”.
The Beijing Government, which for the moment leaves the initiative to the local Executive in its response to the demonstrations in the center of Hong Kong and the commercial areas of Causeway and Mong Kok, has sent a letter through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs to foreign consulates in Hong Kong to warn them to avoid demonstrations called by el movimiento civil 'Occupy Central'. “Some radical groups in Hong Kong are holding illegal assemblies… “As a result, some acts of violence and violations of the law have taken place.”, indicates the circular. “The Hong Kong Police are handling them in accordance with the law”.
Beijing has strongly condemned the citizen concentration in China, which considers a “sabotage of the rule of law and citizen security”. “We fully support the Hong Kong Government as it addresses this situation in accordance with the law.”, declared Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. Hua has reiterated the Chinese government's warning against possible external interference in Chinese internal affairs and called for “caution.”” to other countries to avoid the practice of illegal activities. But a few hours later, the british deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, summoned the Chinese ambassador in London, Liu Xiaoming, para expresar su "alarma" y "consternación" on events in Hong Kong.
For your part, the head of the local government, Leung Chun-ying, has denounced that the civil disobedience campaign “is out of control” and so much 'Occupy Central' as the Student Federation should call it off.
But the organizers of the sit-ins not only do not plan to call them off.. They plan to go further. At a press conference, student leader Alex Chow has given the local government until midnight tomorrow, 1 October and Chinese national holiday, to meet with protesters and address their demands. Otherwise, “We will increase the intensity of the protests from day 2”. The concentrations could extend to other parts of the city and “occupy government buildings”.
Protesters demand Leung's resignation as a first step. They then demand that Beijing withdraw the electoral reform proposal for the autonomous territory who presented the 29 of August. Although it provides for universal suffrage, imposes a series of conditions that require, according to the pro-democracy movement, that the candidates necessarily have the approval of Beijing. Pro-democrats demand completely free elections, both when appointing candidates and when voting for them among the entire population.
Hong Kong, former british colony, is governed by the principle of “one country, two systems” since its return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. This allows you to enjoy a series of freedoms that do not exist in mainland China., including the holding of elections – although until now through a limited system of indirect suffrage – or freedom of the press.
