2011 Protest
The turnout for the 2011 protest is the highest since 2004. Organizers of the protest claimed a turnout of 218,000 people. There were quite a number of issues. Just two days before the protest, the government led by Stephen Lam tried to pass a bill to no longer allow by-elections, this is to block any more events similar to the Five Constituencies referendum. There were demands for Donald Tsang to step down, and bring in universal suffrage to both the 2012 chief executive and Legco election.
There were complaints with land hogging and control by real estate companies. Unionists portrayed real estate tycoon Li Ka-shing as the devil. Other groups carried coffins to represent the small homes poor people live in. Hawkers complained about the high property rent that made it impossible to run their business.
There were complaints of allowing more women from mainland China to give birth in Hong Kong. There were also people against the introduction of "Patriotic education (國民教育)" in primary and high schools in the special administrative region. Just a few days ago, 22 top HK schools rejected the plan, claiming they were against this type of "brain wash education". The post-90s generation were quite against this. During the protest about 228 protesters at Connaught Road were arrested.
On July 13 People Power group led a three day sit-in to protest against Stephen Lam, the blocking of by-elections and a number of issues. About 1000 people put on handcuffs and surrounded the Legco building 3 times to protest police actions from the July 1 march. Hundreds of people also threw paper airplanes at the Legco building with political messages.
Read more about this topic: Hong Kong 1 July Marches
Famous quotes containing the word protest:
“The Declaration [of Independence] was not a protest against government, but against the excess of government. It prescribed the proper role of government, to secure the rights of individuals and to effect their safety and happiness. In modern society, no individual can do this alone. So government is not a necessary evil but a necessary good.”
—Gerald R. Ford (b. 1913)