Tens of thousands gathered in sweltering heat in Hong Kong yesterday to protest against a pro-democracy campaign that has threatened to shut down the city’s financial district, exposing a deepening rift over political reforms in the former British colony.
The rise in tit-for-tat street protests between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy groups underscores the challenges China faces in shaping its vision for the political future of Hong Kong.
Backed largely by Beijing-friendly groups, the Alliance for Peace and Democracy says it “desires peace and no violence” and has denounced the pro-democracy Occupy Central movement that has said it will lock down the centre of the city if Beijing does not allow truly democratic elections for a leader in 2017.
“We want to show that the march doesn’t have to be violent and angry. It can be happy,” said Robert Chow, a former Hong Kong radio host and spokesman for the alliance.
The group says it has so far collected close to 1.5m signatures, including that of Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying, saying the “illegal” Occupy campaign would tarnish Hong Kong’s reputation and hurt business.
It wasn’t possible to independently verify the number, which exceeded the almost 800,000 votes in Occupy Central’s unofficial poll on democracy in June. The anti-Occupy campaign kicked off early on Sunday with a run through the centre of the city that attracted about 1,500 in temperatures as high as 30 degrees Celsius, organisers said.
The all-day rally, which marks the end of the alliance’s month-long signature campaign, was overshadowed by speculation that some business groups had pressured people to take part.
One Chinese participant surnamed Chen, who is in her 60s, said some people attended simply because they like running.
“I bumped into a friend. She’s running with colleagues from a property management firm. She said her firm encouraged her to run and she took part because she likes running,” she added.
Occupy Central has said its movement is peaceful, demanding a “genuine choice” for Hong Kong’s 5 million eligible voters.
After annual protests marking the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China last month, hundreds of police started removing protesters from the heart of Hong Kong’s business district as they tried to stage a sit-in after a rally to demand greater democracy.
