Hong Kong in Resistance: An Overview
Trigger warning for police brutality, violence, injuries and potential gore. View at your own discretion.
10.1 Day of Mourning
Image: protesters march with an unfurled, handwritten, black banner: "No National Day • Only Day of Mourning." Source: LIHKG
Why Is The Day Significant?
October 1st is National Day in China, and October 1st, 2019 happened to be the 70th anniversary of China under the Chinese Communist Party’s rule. In the morning, celebrations for the National Day were held in Beijing, attended by Xi Jinping and Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, it was designated ‘a day of mourning’ by the Civil Human Rights Front for the victims of the Chinese Communist Party (the CCP)’s rule.
Major Protest Events
October 1st Day of mourning • “Blossoms” in 6 districts
Peaceful rallies were set to be held in 6 of Hong Kong’s 18 districts, namely Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Wan Chai, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, and Sha Tin. They gathered in front of government offices and stadiums and chanted slogans.
Hong Kong Island peaceful rally
Peaceful rallies were set to be held in 6 of Hong Kong’s 18 districts, namely Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Wan Chai, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, and Sha Tin. They gathered in front of government offices and stadiums and chanted slogans.
British Consulate Rally
The organization Britons in Hong Kong launched a rally outside the British consulate. Demonstrators held the British flag and raised their BNO passports in the air and sang the British national anthem. They also held signs with slogans like ‘Joint Declaration is DEAD’ and ‘Proud to be British since 1841,’ and urged the British government to repeal the Sino-British Joint Statement to protect British nationals in Hong Kong.
Image: rally attendees wave British flags. A person in the front holds a sign that says 'The National day of People's Republic of China is Nothing to us!' Source: the Guardian
Other Protest Events On The Day
Flag raising ceremony demonstration
At 8 am, two socialist groups marched to where National Day celebrations were being held with a black coffin prop on their shoulders, calling the CCP a ‘butcher of an administration.’ There was a brief clash between the protesters and those celebrating.
Clog the Racecourse
In response to the National Day horse racing event, citizens instigated ‘Clog the Racecourse,’ where they bought out the seats in Racecourse, Sha Tin, with big banners and microphones and sang Glory to Hong Kong, the Hong Kong democracy and freedom movement anthem.
Black bloc choir singing Glory to Hong Kong
A group of black bloc protesters gathered outside a temple in Wong Tai Sin to sing Glory to Hong Kong peacefully.
Battle roar and drumming
A common feature of the protests by then, protesters hollered slogans like ‘Glory to Hong Kong/Revolution of our time’ and beat umbrellas against objects to mimic war drumming.
Image: black clad protesters stand around a burning PRC flag. Source: Independent
Notable Tactics Used + Facts About The Protests
Burning the flag and related banners and items
On the 70th national day of the CCP, protesters tore down National Day banners and Chinese flags and burned them. It serves as a statement about the beliefs of the protesters and is a show of defiance against the CCP on their national day. They also burned portraits of Xi Jinping and Carrie Lam.
Protesting in nearly every district
Besides being a strategy to thin out the ranks of and diverting the police’s manpower in containing the protesters, it reflects the popular opinion held by Hong Kongers.
Widespread pre-planned protesting and demonstrating on China's National Day
A deliberate plan on the protesters’ part, it shows that Hong Kongers do not see the Chinese National Day as a day of celebration; instead, it is a day of mourning and anger. It separates Hong Kongers from the ideals of the CCP, and highlights the intensity of the unrest and rage felt by the protesters.
Vandalizing buildings and spraying graffiti
Protesters targeted businesses that have Chinese headquarters or business ties to China, such as a Starbucks store that was owned by Maxim, the owner of which has expressed strong support for the government’s heavy-handed approach towards the protesters. They also sprayed symbols of the protest and slogans on the walls. This is both a way to express their discontent with the CCP, and a way to boycott those businesses. No staff in the stores were injured in these vandalization movements.
Tossing joss paper and blowing a bamboo trumpet as they marched
Joss paper is burned at funerals, as it is believed to send the deceased person riches in their afterlife. The bamboo trumpet is also traditionally blown at funerals. As protesters marched in the streets, joss paper was tossed into the air, and a protester blew a bamboo trumpet as they led the crowd in singing Glory to Hong Kong. Both of these cement the idea that October 1st is a day of mourning for Hong Kongers, and is further insult to the CCP on their national day.
People not on the streets supporting those on the streets
Restaurants opened their doors to protesters fleeing the police and tear gas, and passengers on buses pressed their hands, fingers outstretched to signify the 5 demands of the Hong Kong protesters, to those of the protesters on the other side of the window. These are but two of the examples of the overarching support for this movement all over the city.
Image: joss paper floats in the air around a protester wearing a V for Vendetta mask. Source: The Guardian
How Did The Police Respond?
Despite all rallies and demonstrations starting off peaceful that day, the police began using force with little warning. The black bloc choir was threatened with force before they dispersed; the “blossoms” in 6 districts rallies and the Hong Kong Island march were both met with riot police, and the resulting clashes turned the rallies into protests.
The police deployed tear gas to disperse protesters, and had water cannon trucks (able to spray water at a velocity enough to be injurious) with blue dye fire at them. In one instance, the police kettled protesters and sprayed them with tear gas. The riot police and ‘Raptors’ also rushed out to beat protesters, tackling them to the floor and arresting them. Journalists and reporters were harrassed and intimidated by the police, and multiple reporters have given accounts that they were kicked at, shoved, and screamed at.
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Rubber bullets were fired at protesters, as was the norm by then. However, live rounds were shot at protesters for the first time since the protests started in June 2019.
Image: protesters watch as a water cannon truck, spraying water with blue dye in it, approaches. Source: Independent
Live Rounds Used
6 live rounds were reported to have been used that day. Before October 1st, live rounds had only been shot into the air as a warning. On the day, some of the live rounds were fired at protesters to disperse them.
One of the live rounds was fired when a group of protesters were beating a police officer on the ground with rods. Another police officer rushed over, pistol drawn, and kicked one of the protesters, surnamed Tsang, away before firing at near point-blank range into his chest. He fell to the ground, bleeding heavily from the chest. People who filmed the encounter caught him saying, “I am shot. I need to go to the hospital.”
Protesters threw Molotov cocktails at Tsang's shooter. The police tackled and arrested a protester trying to help Tsang, leaving Tsang with no medical attention for 3 minutes. Eventually, he was tended to by FAs before being sent to a nearby hospital. He was conscious at the time.
Reports later on confirmed that Tsang was in Form 5 (11th grade) and was 18 years old. The bullet punctured his lung, and was 3 cm (1.2 inches) away from his heart. He was one of the two protesters reported to be in critical condition.
Image: a riot police officer draws a pistol, which is circled in white, pointing it at a protester in close range. There is a rifle in his other hand. Source: still from the facebook video
Aftermath
By 10 pm that night, 66 people were confirmed to be injured. The youngest aged a mere 11; the oldest, 75. Two protesters were in critical condition and two more were in serious condition. Reports say that 1400 canisters of tear gas were deployed on the day, with 269 arrests made, both breaking records since the protests had started.
Multiple people and organizations, including British politician Alistair Carmichael, Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor director Law Yuk-kai, and the UK-based charity Hong Kong Watch, spoke up after Tsang was shot, calling for de-escalation and for more to be done about the unacceptable force used. All of them condemned the usage of a live round, and several said that this was a frightening display of the increasing police brutality against the protesters.
The police force said that they ‘did not want to see anyone being injured’ and felt ‘very sad’ about the 18 year old shot with a live round, but that they ‘warn rioters to stop breaking the law immediately, as we will strictly enforce the law.’ They have also said that the police officer shot the student because he ‘felt his life was under serious threat.’ They insisted that using the live round was ‘lawful and reasonable.’
The day following Tsang’s critical injury, there was a rally at the secondary school Tsang attended as the school had not condemned the actions of the police.
Tsang was arrested on three charges, rioting and two counts of assault charges, a few days after his life-threatening injury. He was still hospitalized at the time. As of 15th August, 2020, he has applied for Legal Aid, but was rejected by the Legal Aid authorities for bringing a personal injury claim against the Hong Kong Police Force.
On 18th May, 2020, 15 politicians, including the 4 who led the Hong Kong Island march, were arrested and tried for charges like unlawful assembly. As of 28th June, 2020, 19 protesters have been tried in court for various charges for participating in the 10.1 protests.
Image: a protester wearing a V for Vendetta mask stands in front of Mong Kok MTR station, which is closed by a metal gate. A burning protest sign is wedged in front of it. Source: SCMP
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