FULL SUPPORT FOR THE HONG KONG MOBILIZATIONS
PARTIDO SOCIALISMO E LIBERDADE (PSOL) 2 AUG 2019
In the last two months the population of Hong Kong has occupied the streets of the semi-autonomous Chinese region in huge demonstrations in defense of civil rights, facing both harsh police repression and the violence of gangs linked to the mafia supposedly supported by the government. The mobilizations began in response to the proposal of a new law that would allow the extradition of the island’s citizens to mainland China, an obvious legal maneuver that would increase the persecution of activists through the threat of extradition to the government of Beijing.
Even after the government said that the project was “dead”, the demonstrations continue, demanding its withdrawal from the LegCo (local parliament) agenda. They are mostly composed of young people fighting for democratic freedoms, such as the right to free expression and political organization, the non-prosecution of arrested protesters, the democratic election of the local government and against the increased influence of the mainland Chinese government in the autonomous region.
This is the biggest political crisis in Hong Kong since it is no longer a British colony and reflects the current dilemma within the “one country, two systems” model, affecting the dictatorship in an unprecedented context since the Celestial Peace Square Massacre in 1989, which can also be combined with processes of struggle and mobilization also in mainland China. Despite the difficulty of access to information and the lack of credibility of official data, the hard attacks by the official press suggest possibilities of an even greater crisis.
The recent attack on Yuen Long subway station, in which fascist groups linked to the Triad mafia attacked demonstrators, journalists and passers-by with police support, shows that the escalation of violence continues. Likewise, the intensification of police repression and the persecution of the movement’s leaders also demonstrate the dangers posed to this popular movement in its journey to defend basic rights.
From Brazil, we from PSOL sympathize with the struggling youth in the autonomous region of Hong Kong and express our support for the resistance against authoritarianism and police violence that today threaten this population.
PSOL National Executive Committee
August 1, 2019