2012 Protests
2012 featured two major protests. The protest on the 1st of July was the largest protest yet, with activists claiming 400,000 took part and police claiming 63,000 took part, both of which would have been the largest attendance at the July 1 protests. These protests coincided with the 15th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong attended by Hu Jintao and his swearing in of new Chief Executive CY Leung, who is alleged to be a closet member of the Communist Party of China, and has conflicts of interests over his business interests and has had unauthorised building work at his home.
In addition, the widening gap between the rich and poor, with 20% of the city living in poverty, an influx of mothers from Mainland China, denial of universal suffrage to all individuals and suppression of freedom of speech in the Mainland featured in the protests.
According to the University of Hong Kong, only 34% of locals said they are proud of being Chinese citizens, the lowest figure since 2001. Many protesters waved the British Hong Kong flag, showing resentment of the post-handover situation.
Following the protests, a human rights group based in the city, the Chinese People’s Rights Alliance claimed that disguised mainland Chinese security police followed and harassed them. It also alleged that several mainlander protesters have gone missing once returning home to Mainland China.
Read more about this topic: Hong Kong 1 July Marches