HONG KONG: Tensions have spiked in Hong Kong ahead of what could be a 13th straight weekend of protests, as police arrested several top opposition figures including Joshua Wong after banning a mass march scheduled for Saturday.
The moves signalled a harder line by the government against the largely leaderless protest movement, which began in June over a bill allowing extraditions to mainland China before morphing into a wider push against Beijing’s increasing grip on the city.
While Wong and fellow activist Agnes Chow were later released on bail, their arrests could fuel unauthorised gatherings that have sparked violent confrontations with police in recent weeks.
Rights groups said the arrests were a well-worn tactic from the Beijing playbook, used to suffocate dissent ahead of key political events, in this case the approaching 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule on Oct 1.
Embattled leader Carrie Lam this week called for a dialogue with the opposition while refusing to rule out invoking a sweeping colonial-era law that allows for easier arrests, deportations, censorship and property seizures.
Wong and Chow were charged on Friday with inciting people to join a protest in June. After their release, they vowed to continue the fight for democracy. They also warned China about using force.
“I urge the international community to send a message to President Xi, sending troops or using emergency ordinance is not the way out,” Wong said.
“All we ask for is just to urge Beijing and the Hong Kong government to withdraw the [extradition]bill, stop police brutality and respond to our calls for free elections. We will continue our fight, no matter how they arrest and prosecute us,” he added.
Andy Chan, the leader of a pro-independence movement, was arrested at the airport on Thursday night. Three others were taken in earlier this week for the vandalising of the Hong Kong legislature offices on July 1.
More than 900 people have been arrested in connection with protests since June. But that has failed to snuff out a leaderless movement, which says freedoms in the city, unique within China, are being eviscerated by Beijing.
The organisers of a march planned for Saturday, which will be the fifth anniversary of a decision by Beijing against allowing fully democratic elections for the leader of Hong Kong, said they were calling it off after an appeals board denied permission. But it was unclear whether some protesters would still demonstrate on their own.
Police have been rejecting more applications for rallies and marches, citing violence at or after earlier ones. They have appealed to Hong Kong residents to stay away from any non-authorised rallies on Saturday, warning that those caught could face a five-year jail term.
Police said Wong and Agnes Chow are being investigated for their role in an unauthorised protest outside a police station on June 21. They are charged with participating in the demonstration and inciting others to join it. Wong is also charged with organising it.
Wong is secretary-general of Demosisto and Chow is a prominent member. He was one of the student leaders of the Umbrella Movement, the major pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014.
Isaac Cheng, the vice-chair of Demosisto, said the arrests were an attempt to spread fear and “white terror” among Hong Kong residents.
He accused authorities of trying to identify leaders in a “leaderless” movement. The Communist Party-ruled government in Beijing is pulling the strings and has misjudged the situation, he said, urging residents to continue protesting despite the risk of arrest.
Demosisto first reported the arrests on its social media accounts, saying Wong was pushed into a private car as he was heading to a subway station around 7.30am and was taken to police headquarters. It later said that Chow had also been arrested at her home.
Wong was released from prison in June after serving a two-month sentence related to an earlier protest. He has been speaking out regularly in support of the pro-democracy demonstrations ever since.
Three years ago, Beijing successfully leaned on the Thai military junta to have Wong detained at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok for 12 hours before being sent home. He had travelled to Bangkok to give a speech at an event held to mark the 40th anniversary of the Oct 6, 1976 student massacre at Thammanat University.
Meanwhile, there has been talk in Hong Kong of another attempt to disrupt airport infrastructure on Sunday afternoon, along with a protest outside the British consulate in the city centre.
There have also been calls for a two-day general strike to begin on Monday, accompanied by rallies kicking off at 1.30pm in various parts of the city. Some students also plan “class boycott” rallies.
Strike rallies are planned to continue on Tuesday afternoon, including at Chater Garden, in the central business area.
