On June 16, Hong Kong’s Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) announced that nearly 2 million Hong Kong people took part in another protest demonstration to demand that the Hong Kong Government withdraw the extradition law and for Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, to step down.
The number of people attending on June 16 dwarfed the recent protest rally on Sunday, June 9, which had an estimated 1.3 million participants, making it the largest protest in Hong Kong’s history.
It was reported by the world’s major media that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) once again ordered a gag on news about this extradition law.
The CHRF’s five major demands to the SAR (Special Administrative Region) Government are:
1. No prosecution of demonstrators
2. Abolition of the term “riots”
3. Investigation of those responsible for the shooting
4. Withdrawal of the extradition law
5. Carrie Lam to step down
The world’s major media — including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Fox News, Reuters, AFP, and Voice of Germany — reported on this demonstration.
In another demonstration on June 12, Hong Kong police used rubber bullets, bag bombs, tear gas, pepper spray, batons, and other brutal means to suppress the protesters. This made Hong Kong people who had never taken to the streets before come out to participate in support of their fellow citizens.
Older people came out to support young protesters
The BBC reported their conversation with a 67-year-old protester who said: “Carrie Lam ignored the feelings of Hong Kong people. When more than a million took to the streets last week, Lam did not show any care.” He added: “We joined the protest for students who have been brutally beaten by the police. We must help them to uphold justice.”
The amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance is a bill proposed by the Hong Kong government and supported by the CCP designed to establish a mechanism for the extradition of Hong Kong people and those in transit in Hong Kong. They will be sent to Mainland China for trial without judicial independence.
Translated by Chua BC and edited by Helen
