#JuneFourth: an elderly man was surrounded by over two dozen police officers outside Victoria Park just for holding banners that said conscience.
Last year, hundreds showed up at the Victoria Park, defying a ban to commemorate the #TiananmenSquareMassacre. This year, police sealed off the park, blocked cross harbour tunnels and reportedly deploy up to 7,000 officers across the city, to ensure it wouldn’t happen again.
“It’s a pity we cannot participate in the vigil this year,” said Lit Ming-wai, producer of May 35th, an award winning drama on June Fourth. She is bringing the flowers to attend the mass. “This will only make us remember this better.”
Lit was led away by police for a search.
Another woman holding a bouquet of flowers was stopped and searched. An officer told they have reasonable suspicion because of the flowers.
A woman stopped and searched outside the park for holding a tiny candlelight.
A man with a shirt that says “we are getting closer to vindicating June Fourth” and a stack of newspapers was asked by police officers to mind which page and headline he is displaying.
Police’s loudspeakers are blasting social distancing rules, but the booth for League of Social Democrats continues to play songs commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Firefighters arrived and opened the hydrant for reason unknown. The booth was forced to move.
Police unfurled banners, warning people they are violating the law by gathering. People chanted protest slogans in response as they scattered. Unable to light candles, many people walk around with the torchlight on their phone.
“It’s a tradition. Police can say whatever they want. It’s not illegal to light candles.”
Walk around Victoria Park and you will find signs everywhere that tell you people have not forgotten: a placard that says “nothing happened on June Fourth”; graffiti and digital display of candles; torchlight on phones.
Dressed in white uniform meant for mourning and yellow hats to symbolise the candlelight, three visual arts students wanted to present a performance art, but were scattered by police before they could. They also brought scrolls for ppl to paint on.
Officers surrounded a plastic candle left on a pole, but eventually left it alone
Activist Alexandra Wong remains defiant
Police back to their old tactics of cordoning off a stretch of the street to stop and search people, particularly youngsters dressed in black.

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More from @rachel_cheung1

15 Aug 20
The police raid at @appledaily_hk, the only pro-democratic paper in #HongKong, on Monday was shocking. But across the town, a major shake-up occurred at the newsroom of broadcast station iCable, which is equally alarming. latimes.com/world-nation/s…
There had been rumours that the former news director Fung Tak-hung would soon be let go. The surprise came at his replacement: not one, but three new appointed media executives, all of whom have far less experience in running a newsroom. E.g. Oscar Lee, the new director of news
is best known for being an anchor/parenting KOL. He was mocked for this interview with police chief in March.
At 0:50 Tang said he realised the pressure was beyond what he expected. Lee's follow up question: Is the pressure more than you had expected?
facebook.com/watch/?v=88221…
Read 28 tweets
10 Aug 20
Summary of what happened to #HongKong press:
- Jimmy Lai, founder of only remaining pro-democratic newspaper @appledaily_hk, arrested under national security law, newsroom searched
- News directors of iCable and NowTV, two credible broadcast stations, replaced
- Immigration department set up new unit to review visa applications of foreign journalists
- International media outlets have trouble getting visas for correspondents in HK
- Independent outlets denied access to reporting sites/interviews with police
- public broadcaster @rthk_enews, which is now under a government probe, is also blocked from entering Apple Daily headquarters to report on the ongoing search.
Read 10 tweets
21 Jul 20
There’s no more than the usual traffic at Yuen Long Station, but MTR has implemented “crowd management measures” and closed off five exits, on the anniversary of 721, where a mob wielding sticks attacked passengers and press members indiscriminately.
And if you go down the escalator, you will find an army of riot police officers on the ground at the bus station.

Last year, two officers were filmed leaving the scene of the attack, while reinforcement arrived 38 minutes later.
Over a dozen police vehicles at the bus station below Yuen Long MTR station. More scattered around the town centre, broadcasting warnings against unauthorised assembly and violations of social distancing rules.
Read 26 tweets
13 Jul 20
The #HongKong government's #coronavirus slogan has gone from "fight virus together" to "Together, We Fight the Virus!" Chief Executive Carrie Lam is expected to meet the press at 8pm.
Lam to announce more stringent social distancing measures amid a new wave of #coronavirus in #HongKong. There were 253 cases in the past 8 days, including 182 local cases and 71 imported cases. 128 involved clusters at restaurants, taxi drivers and elderly centre, said Lam.
New regulations:
-Travellers from countries/cities deemed as high risk areas have to test negative for coronavirus before they are allowed to board the flight.
-More stringent social distancing measures. 12 types of facilities (game arcades, gym etc) to close for 7 days
Read 13 tweets
3 Jul 20
#HongKong govt declares last night that the slogan “Liberate HK, the Revolution of Our Times” connotes independence and violates national security law. In response, protesters prove that you may outlaw certain words but you cannot ban ideas or thoughts.
There are also these shapes. Perhaps up next, the #HongKong government will have to ban imagination.
Read 9 tweets
4 Jun 20
Small, scattered installations and signs in commemoration of the #TiananmenSquareMassacre and a growing crowd outside the Victoria Park, where #HongKong govt has banned the annual vigil on the grounds of public health.
Only before seven, but some have pushed down the gates and urging others to enter the field.
“The govt used ridiculous reasons like this construction sign to prevent citizens from using this sport field, especially on an important day like this one, it should make us angry, says a man, who then pushed down the gates surrounding the field.
Read 21 tweets

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