Record my "anti-extradition" march

On June 9, 2019, countless Hong Kongers took to the streets again to oppose the revision of the extradition law. I joined the parade with a mentality to speak up, participate, witness and record history.

When I went to the scene, I was shocked by the sea of people, and the number of people in the parade was unbelievable. The whole city is boiling, old and young in white, it is not an exaggeration. The organizer, the Civil Human Rights Front, later announced there were 1.03 million people, while police said it peaked at 240,000. I remembered a few interesting figures: 12,000 people participated in the first march against the amendment of the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance on March 31; the FDC counted 130,000 people in the second march on April 28 after the "three sons of Occupy Central" were sentenced; this year The 6.4 anniversary gathered 180,000 people, and people called for a parade on 6.9 at the end of the commemoration. I don't know the real number, but I really feel the emotion of "everyone is in danger" in the crowd. The sense of crisis has its own powerful appeal and action. It is amazing to see the "mountain of people" in such a vivid and orderly manner. The parade came out of the Causeway Bay Stadium, and it usually took more than 4 hours for the 5-minute journey. Starting at 2 o'clock, it was already 9 o'clock in the evening when the tail of the team reached the Legislative Council.

Hong Kong in June was unbearably hot and humid. The air was thicker because of the crowd, and sweat had to stick to the body, which was extremely uncomfortable. In the middle of the line, people with their chests against their backs, their heels touching their heels, waiting to move under the scorching sun, smelling all kinds of sweat and perfume. But I don't see too many complaints and anxiety on people's faces, but an unspeakable joy and calmness. Occasionally someone wants to move out, saying "I'm sorry" and "I'm sorry", and people politely sideways to give way without complaining, although there is no space to let it out. The parents holding the child by the side smiled and taught the child, "You see how many brothers and sisters have bravely come out. If you don't agree, you must speak up and change." There are also many grandparents in their sixties and seventies. He wiped his sweat with a towel on top, raised his thumbs to various cameras and mobile phones, and occasionally followed the voices in front of him and shouted the slogan, "Lin Cheng, step down! Lam Cheng, step down!". I didn't ask you why you stood up. The answer was obvious. It just floated in the air and was written on the banner, "Hold your freedom tightly in the wind and rain" and "People's freedom is invincible", just like a young girl suddenly Shouting: "We have no right to remain silent any longer against evil laws."

It rained suddenly after six o'clock. I didn't bring an umbrella, but I couldn't get the rain, because umbrellas were put up in the crowd, which had already propped up a piece of sunshine for others. A friend posted a photo from upstairs looking down. It was an endless sea of umbrellas, blue, black, red, yellow, and colorful. Hong Kong friends sighed, "How familiar this scene is." She said the phrase "we will be back" when she mentioned the umbrella, with tears in her eyes. In recent months, I have been studying and living in Hong Kong, and I have participated in some civil society activities and lectures ranging from colleges to private people. I found that there are very few people in Hong Kong, and young people are even rarer. When I asked some local friends from other places, many people said that the umbrella used up the last political enthusiasm of Hong Kong people, and they felt even colder after being frustrated. Some left Hong Kong in despair, some went back to work and vowed never to talk about politics again, and others asked me "what's the use?". I can't answer, but in their eyes, what I see is not a sense of political coldness, but a sense of collective trauma and collective powerlessness. Some people give up in powerlessness, some people are lost in powerlessness, but more people may be healing, lurking, and preparing. In the face of the sea of 6.9 people, compared to the silence (censorship and self-censorship) in mainland China, how can it be said that Hong Kong people are politically apathetic? At least this day and night, I saw countless boiling fearless souls.

I arrived at the Legislative Council at eight o'clock, and Tamar Park was full of tired people in white. On the grass, family members gathered in a circle to drink water to rest and take pictures. Groups of three or five people sat and looked at each other silently. Some couples depended on each other. Some people preached and preached. It's over, please rest and wait near the Legislative Council." The front of the Legislative Yuan was full of people, mostly the faces of young people. Some people are shouting, some people are speaking. I couldn't squeeze any more, so I rested on the grass for a few minutes, drank enough water, and returned to the flyover just in time to see the arrival of the team holding the "Retake Hong Kong" banner. People on the bridge cheered. There were so many people under the bridge that the crowd wanted to step onto the highway at one point, but the police realized that, and soon more police cars and police officers drove to block the crowd and pushed the demonstrators back who were trying to climb the barricade. The crowd on the overpass and under the overpass shouted rhythmically from time to time, "Open the way! Open the way! Open the way!" I was also moved. But the police were unmoved. Occasionally, some people around him angrily scolded the police, "black police, watchdog", and shouted out foul language that should not be written, but few responded. More often, people watched, patted, watched, and waited relatively silently. I don't know if the person on the road or on the bridge raised the phone first, turned on the flash, lit the light, shook it, and responded to each other.

I kept posting pictures and videos of the parade scene on WeChat Moments, and found that no one liked it. It turned out to be censored. The circle of friends can only post some relatively obscure words, such as "one in seven Hong Kong people take to the streets to oppose the evil law." Many circle friends privately messaged me, what happened in Hong Kong? Against what evil? Why object? In mainland China, not even the news of Hong Kong is known. I explained them one by one, and privately messaged the pictures and videos one by one. After reading it, someone advised me, "Be careful of being bombed again", "Don't post it, be careful that others will report you". Ignorance and fear can indeed be cultivated.

At ten o'clock I heard someone say the parade was over, and I walked back through Tamar Park with a group of people. I saw that there were still layers of people who were unwilling to leave in front of the Legislative Council, in the park, and on Lung Wo Road. They looked around, not knowing what to do, standing, sitting or leaning on each other dryly. There was reluctance and resentment on their faces, they didn't want to leave like this. This is probably the most white-clothed teenage girl I have ever seen in my life. On the way, I heard a couple talking, the girl said, "Dianjiezhong is someone who is shameless?"; the boy asked "What?" The girl pointed to the huge electronic screen of a building: "Support the amendment, keep safety, and don't fugitive criminals. Heaven".

At eleven o'clock I returned to the dormitory, exhausted, and cooked instant noodles. I soon saw the response of the Hong Kong government: although the number of marchers was large, the Bill still continued to be debated. Friends who were still at the scene said that the response, which ignored the opinions of the 1.03 million people, immediately angered those who stayed behind in the Legislative Council. Some demonstrators were angry and wanted to enter the Legislative Council and have a dialogue with Carrie Lam. On that side, the police are ready, they want to clear the scene. From the videos and pictures posted by friends, it can be seen that the demonstrators and the police have acted desperately. Some demonstrators smashed iron horses, but more often, heavily armed police officers (hard hats, batons, chili water, shields) confronted unarmed demonstrators (some of them in turbans, some with masks, but none of them weapons, some people don't even have face masks and hoods, they just have their blood boiling) spray pepper spray. In the video, the policemen wielding their batons have a ferocious expression and a fierce attitude, as if they are not facing ordinary people, but terrorists, thugs, and enemies. The people and public opinion have become the enemies of the government. Tears flowed again, this time in pain, anger and disappointment.

It was the first time in my 30-year-old life that my emotions were so ups and downs like a roller coaster: I was moved by the beauty of Hong Kong people in the first half of the night, and angry at the shamelessness of the Hong Kong government in the second half of the night. The tolerance of the government is getting worse, the tolerance level of the authorities is getting lower and lower, and the rudeness of the police is getting higher and higher.

Sleepless nights. I got up at 7:00 and went to the restaurant for the largest breakfast. At the next table are seven or eight people who came from China to hold a meeting. There are signs on their chests. Their language system and clothing and behavior are like some official scholars? They chatted and laughed, and talked about "What project did you apply for in the Greater Bay Area?", "The project of XX is definitely fine, our Hangzhou government is very supportive", "The project is passed and we will have a feast"... Look at the past, then It's a confident smiling face. Can't help but wonder, do they know what happened yesterday? Do they care? I think of the faces of those boys and girls in white yesterday, confused, anxious, unwilling, stubborn, unconvinced, and firm.

I flipped through the restaurant's magazine, and the content was a report on the anniversary of the June 4th and 30th years, "What if China's rulers pay no price for the massacre in Beijing". How many young people know about the forcibly erased past? If you are ignorant, how to commemorate, reflect, and blame? If you look at WeChat and Weibo again, the protests in Hong Kong yesterday were completely cleared by censorship in mainland China. The latest news is that the Global Times editorial characterized the June 9 march as the opposition colluding with Western forces. I would like to post pictures and videos again, explaining that 1.03 million citizens participated voluntarily, that the occupation of the Legislative Council was just a group of enthusiastic young people, and that the police violently cleared the scene. We found that WeChat and Weibo had been banned.

Perhaps, under the powerful machine of the party-state, ignorance and fear can be cultivated, information and news can be blocked, and reality and truth can be distorted. But having personally experienced it and witnessed it, you can't pretend to be ignorant, you can't give up your records, and you can't sit still. The darkness is boundless, and there is only a trace of truth and light left, which must not be surrendered.