For three days in a row, thousands of students, parents, teachers and citizens have gathered every evening outside the Hong Kong Government buildings to protest a controversial national education programme. The Civil Alliance Against the National Education renamed the Government square the Citizen's Square and occupied it to protest the CCP’s brainwashing programme. On Tuesday, over 8,000 people braved the heavy rain and joined the rally. The statue of the Goddess of Democracy symbolizing the 1989 Tiananmen Square democratic movement appeared in the Citizen's Square too.
The rain started near evening on Tuesday as thousands of students, parents, teachers and citizens stood in the square in front of the Hong Kong government buildings. A sea of umbrellas. And at night, more and more joined the rally to oppose the National Education Program. They call it CCP brainwashing that is targetting their children.
Police opened streets around the square for the protestors. Someone brought roses and distributed them to people. Close to midnight, the statue of the Goddess of Democracy suddenly appeared at the square to encourage the protestors. It is the same statue that had been installed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests.
Many citizens spoke at the forum, denouncing the Communist regime.
Hong Kong Citizen:
"If today the CCP says that I am a counterrevolutionary, and claims that Hong Kong is a base for counterrevolutionaries, I’ll say that I am against it, against the one-party dictatorship."
Journalist Zhang Baohua, who was once accused by Jiang Zemin for being “naïve”, was also present to support the movement.
Hong Kong journalist Zhang Baohua:
“We may be naïve, but I hope we will stick to this word, stick to this word to oppose the Leung Chunying government, until the national education program is withdrawn.”
Chief Executive Leung Chunying responded that withdrawing the program cannot be accepted as a prerequisite for dialog. Deputy director of the Committee for the Basic Law, the former Secretary for Justice, Ms. Elsie Leung claimed that the hunger strike and occupation of the square would lead Hong Kong to a state of anarchy. Huang Zhifeng, a student organizer, says she insults Hong Kong citizens.
Convener of Student Organization “Scholarism” Huang Zhifeng:
“The central ring was occupied for nearly a year, and it did not take Hong Kong into anarchy. We feel that Elsie Leung completely does not sympathetize with people’s needs, only accuses us, and protects the government and the CCP central.”
Leung Chunying suddenly said on Wednesday that he cancelled his Russia trip where he was to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, and will focus instead on Hong Kong issues. The Civil Alliance Against the National Education demanded that Leung communicate and speak publicly with protestors.
NTD, Liang Xiuyi
