Hamartia Antidote
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Another day...another protest...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/hong-kong-protesters-aim-chinese-traders-190713080126138.html
Small-time mainland traders have long been a source of anger among some in Hong Kong [Tyrone Siu/Reuters]
Hong Kong activists have protested against mainland Chinese traders in a town near the border on Saturday, seeking to channel energy from huge demonstrations against an extradition bill to another problem they say the government has mismanaged.
The demonstration in the town of Sheung Shui, not far from the Chinese city of Shenzhen, started peacefully but devolved into scuffles and shouting, with police firing pepper spray at protesters and pushing them back with baton-charges. Demonstrators threw umbrellas and hard hats back at them.
The protest in Sheung Shui was the latest in a string of demonstrations that have roiled the former British colony for more than a month, fuelling its biggest political crisis since China regained control of the territory in 1997.
Millions of people have taken part in street protests, with hundreds even storming the legislature on July 1, against the now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to China to face trial.
Critics saw the bill as a threat to Hong Kong's rule of law. Chief Executive Carrie Lam suspended the bill last month in the face of opposition and this week said it was "dead". But opponents say they will settle for nothing short of its formal withdrawal.
Broader issues
Most of the protests have taken place in and around Hong Kong's central business district, but recently demonstrators turned their sights to parts of the territory that have seen less political activity. They have also sought to broaden support for the movement by focusing on narrower, more domestic issues.
Tens of thousands of protesters staged an anti-extradition march last Sunday through one of the most popular tourist shopping areas in Kowloon, where they tried to win support from mainland Chinese tourists.
On Saturday, the focus again turned away from downtown Hong Kong to Sheung Shui, a town close to the border where so-called "parallel traders" from the mainland buy bulk quantities of duty-free goods, which they then carry into China to sell.
The small-time mainland traders have long been a source of anger among some in Hong Kong who argue they have fuelled inflation, dodged taxes, diluted the town's identity, and caused a spike in property prices.
'Lack of democracy'
Jimmy Sham, convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, which has organised a string of major protests against the extradition bill, said the root problem was Hong Kong's lack of a full democracy.
"The government, Carrie Lam, some legislators in functional constituencies are not elected by the people, so there are many escalating actions in different districts to reflect different social issues," he said.
"If political problems are not solved, social well-being issues will continue to emerge endlessly."
When Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, Chinese Communist leaders promised the city a high degree of autonomy for 50 years.
But many say China has progressively tightened its grip, putting Hong Kong's freedoms under threat through a range of measures such as the extradition bill.
Amy Chan, a 25-year-old bank employee who joined Saturday's march, called it a continuing action following up on the momentum of the anti-extradition law protests.
"There isn't an anti-extradition protest every day to keep us going," she said. "I hope that through today's action, people in Hong Kong will not forget that there are actually many other social issues waiting to be solved."
Anti-extradition protesters were planning another demonstration on Sunday in the town of Sha Tin, in the so-called New Territories between Hong Kong Island and the border with China.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/hong-kong-protesters-aim-chinese-traders-190713080126138.html
Small-time mainland traders have long been a source of anger among some in Hong Kong [Tyrone Siu/Reuters]
Hong Kong activists have protested against mainland Chinese traders in a town near the border on Saturday, seeking to channel energy from huge demonstrations against an extradition bill to another problem they say the government has mismanaged.
The demonstration in the town of Sheung Shui, not far from the Chinese city of Shenzhen, started peacefully but devolved into scuffles and shouting, with police firing pepper spray at protesters and pushing them back with baton-charges. Demonstrators threw umbrellas and hard hats back at them.
The protest in Sheung Shui was the latest in a string of demonstrations that have roiled the former British colony for more than a month, fuelling its biggest political crisis since China regained control of the territory in 1997.
Millions of people have taken part in street protests, with hundreds even storming the legislature on July 1, against the now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to China to face trial.
Critics saw the bill as a threat to Hong Kong's rule of law. Chief Executive Carrie Lam suspended the bill last month in the face of opposition and this week said it was "dead". But opponents say they will settle for nothing short of its formal withdrawal.
Broader issues
Most of the protests have taken place in and around Hong Kong's central business district, but recently demonstrators turned their sights to parts of the territory that have seen less political activity. They have also sought to broaden support for the movement by focusing on narrower, more domestic issues.
Tens of thousands of protesters staged an anti-extradition march last Sunday through one of the most popular tourist shopping areas in Kowloon, where they tried to win support from mainland Chinese tourists.
On Saturday, the focus again turned away from downtown Hong Kong to Sheung Shui, a town close to the border where so-called "parallel traders" from the mainland buy bulk quantities of duty-free goods, which they then carry into China to sell.
The small-time mainland traders have long been a source of anger among some in Hong Kong who argue they have fuelled inflation, dodged taxes, diluted the town's identity, and caused a spike in property prices.
'Lack of democracy'
Jimmy Sham, convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, which has organised a string of major protests against the extradition bill, said the root problem was Hong Kong's lack of a full democracy.
"The government, Carrie Lam, some legislators in functional constituencies are not elected by the people, so there are many escalating actions in different districts to reflect different social issues," he said.
"If political problems are not solved, social well-being issues will continue to emerge endlessly."
When Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, Chinese Communist leaders promised the city a high degree of autonomy for 50 years.
But many say China has progressively tightened its grip, putting Hong Kong's freedoms under threat through a range of measures such as the extradition bill.
Amy Chan, a 25-year-old bank employee who joined Saturday's march, called it a continuing action following up on the momentum of the anti-extradition law protests.
"There isn't an anti-extradition protest every day to keep us going," she said. "I hope that through today's action, people in Hong Kong will not forget that there are actually many other social issues waiting to be solved."
Anti-extradition protesters were planning another demonstration on Sunday in the town of Sha Tin, in the so-called New Territories between Hong Kong Island and the border with China.