March for Li Wang Yang (李旺陽)

My wife and I went to the march late, and caught up with a group of artists near the tail end of the march in Sheung Wan.  We were soaking wet, having almost ran all the way from Wan Chai to Sheung Wan.



When we moved through the crowd and reached the front, we found that the march was halted by a police cordon on Western Street (西邊街) just before reaching Des Voeux Rd. West (德輔道西), right in front of the Western District Headquarters and Police Station, the so called Police Station No. 7 (七號差館). 



We saw intense negotiations between the leaders of the marchers, with much gesticulations on both sides.


Suddenly, some of the marchers broke through.  Was it the result of successful negotiation?  I could not tell.  But the marchers were soon stopped by a second cordon on Des Voeux Rd. West, and prevented from marching to their destination - the Liaison Office of the Central Government (中聯辦).



A scuffle broke out on the north side of Des Voeux Rd., apparently triggered by a man shouting at the marchers.



On the south side of Des Voeux Rd., there was a break through the cordon while the police’s attention was drawn to the scuffle on the north side. 



Suddenly a team of police rushed out of the police station to give chase.

Quickly, a third cordon was set up right in front of the (back door) of the Liaison Office.  For a while, there was a stalemate.   Soon however, someone told the crowd to move to the front of the Liaison Office.  They encouraged the marchers to gradually press forward, with hands held high to signal peaceful, non-violent intentions. 



It worked, after much pushing and pulling.  The police cordon broke.   They retreated to the last line of defense at the front of the Liaison Office.



A large crowd gathered in front of the front door of the Liaison Office on Connaught Rd. West (干諾道西).  People shouted slogans, demanding justice for Li Wang Yang.  The police was doing a lot of filming of the crowd.  So did several people from inside the Liaison Office.   That reminded me of what happened 23 years ago, in 1989, at the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, Canada where my wife went to protest the Chinese government’s treatment of the protest and subsequent massacre at Tiananmen Square.  23 years have passed, but progress has not been made.

In the end, the crowd dispersed peacefully.  We Hong Kong people have demonstrated time and again we are courageous but non-violent in making a stand for justice - precisely the quality required of a mature civic society.  Who can accuse Hong Kong people of not being ready for true democracy?