Hong Kong protests find support in Edinburgh

Activists ask for backing from Britain in their battle with Beijing

The protests came as thousands of people continued to march in Hong Kong yesterday, facing the threat of arrest and increasingly severe warnings from Beijing.

The Edinburgh activists, who gathered on the city’s Seafield Road yesterday afternoon, stood in front of a billboard with the words: “Will Britain stand with Hong Kong in the fight for freedom?”

The group, led by a group of Hong Kong nationals who met while studying at Edinburgh University, rallied together earlier this year when the protests began. Mass demonstrations in Hong Kong started in March over a bill which would have permitted extraditions to mainland China from the former British colony. Although the government has now suspended the bill, demonstrators want it fully withdrawn and are widening their demands.

Chak Ip, a junior doctor working in Edinburgh, said: “Today, we are focusing on the joint declaration that was signed between Britain and China 30 years ago. We want to highlight that it’s the responsibility of the international community to honour this agreement.”

Another demonstrator, who did not want to be named, said: “I am worried about the future in Hong Kong. It is my homeland and I want to go back and live there one day. I hope this has been a wake-up call.”

Last Monday, the Chinese government issued a statement in support of the Hong Kong government and police, calling for swift punishment of violent protesters.

Hong Kong protesters yesterday removed a Chinese national flag from its pole and flung it into the city’s Victoria Harbour. Tens of thousands of black-clad protesters filled a major road in a usually bustling market district where shop owners had shuttered their storefronts in anticipation of a prolonged demonstration. They also blocked a tunnel and surrounded police stations, where non-emergency services were suspended. Around 40 people have been arrested in recent weeks.