Nearly 1,000 people march in Taipei to support Hong Kong on 4th anniversary of anti-extradition movement

10.06.2023

Hundreds of activists, students and Hong Kongers living in Taiwan took to the streets of Taipei on Saturday to call for continued support for democracy and human rights in Hong Kong. At Liberty Square in Taipei, participants chanted “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of the times” and sang “Glory to Hong Kong” in chorus.

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong will celebrate its fourth anniversary on June 12. This Saturday (June 10), nearly a thousand people participated in the “Farewell to Hong Kong Against the Wind” parade jointly organized by Taiwanese civic groups and several international non-governmental organizations in Taipei, calling on all walks of life to continue to pay attention to the current situation in Hong Kong. The co-organizers of the parade include Hong Kong Frontier Town Youth, Taiwan Hong Kong Association, Taiwan Human Rights Promotion Association, Amnesty International and other groups.

Despite the intermittent rain, the enthusiasm of the participants was not diminished. The parade walked from the University Square at the main entrance of National Taiwan University to the archway of Liberty Square. Many people participated in the parade in black clothes like the protesters in Hong Kong in 2019. About 1,000 people took part in Saturday’s parade, according to Hong Kong Border Town Youth, one of the organizers.

On Liberty Square in Taipei, participants chanted “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of the times”, urging people not to forget Hong Kong’s anti-extradition movement. Marchers also sang “Glory to Hong Kong,” the unofficial anthem of the 2019 pro-democracy protests, which has been banned in Hong Kong.

Sang Pu, chairman of the Taiwan-Hong Kong Association, was moved by Taiwan’s acceptance of Hong Kong immigrants and pro-democracy activists. Samp appealed to “care about Hong Kong and refuse to forget”, not to forget the pro-democracy protests that took place in Hong Kong, nor those activists who are still behind bars. He also said that the most important thing now is to work together to prevent China from infiltrating Taiwan’s democratic self-government.

Li Mingzhe, a Taiwanese NGO worker who was imprisoned by China for 5 years, also appeared in the parade and delivered a short speech. According to the Central News Agency, Li Mingzhe said that the anti-extradition movement not only had an impact on Hong Kong, but also the whole world, because at that time Hong Kong stood at the front line of the global anti-Chinese hegemony and the first battlefield of the world’s anti-China. It conveyed to the world that China did not abide by its promise of “one country, two systems”. The report quoted Li Mingzhe as saying: “This kind of behavior that does not abide by the rule of law shows the oppression of human rights internally, and disregards all the rules of the world externally.”

Lin Changzuo, the founder and legislator of the “Taiwan Congress Hong Kong Friendship Link” who also attended Saturday’s parade, said that despite the tightening of freedom of speech under the Chinese government, Hong Kong people and pro-Hong Kong groups continue to lobby internationally to improve the international community. The attention has prompted more countries to formulate measures to oppose China’s oppression and support Hong Kong. He pointed out that after the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other countries enacted laws to sanction foreign government officials and their supporters who seriously violated human rights, Taiwan also recently passed the “Amendment to the Entry-Exit and Immigration Law” to follow up and restrict those who have seriously violated international rights. Entry of recognized human rights actors. “I hope that with the cooperation of the world’s democratic camp, we can put more pressure on the dictatorship and empower the oppressed people.”

When Britain handed over sovereignty of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the Beijing government promised that Hong Kong’s freedom would remain “unchanged for 50 years”. But Beijing has continued to tighten its grip on Hong Kong, sparking pro-democracy protests on several occasions. In July 2020, Beijing introduced the draconian Hong Kong National Security Law to further suppress dissent.

(Tokushinsha, Chuosha, etc.)

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