Hong Kong’s political divisions showed no sign of closing as students rebuffed an offer from Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) to meet and a few thousand mothers rallied in support of young protesters who left a trail of destruction in the Hong Kong Legislative Council at the start of the week.
“Don’t feel lonely, dad and mum will support you,” read one of many handwritten messages at a “Hong Kong mothers” rally on Friday.
Sealing Cheng (鄭詩靈), an academic at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and an organizer of the rally, asked who was responsible for the destruction of the legislature, implying that an arrogant government had driven the protesters to break into the building and rampage through it.
“Our hearts ache for the young protesters and our society torn apart,” she said in a speech to the crowd of mostly women.
China’s economic influence loomed large at the rally, held in a square under the towering offices of the Bank of China and other Chinese banks.
Many young people feel left out of the China-driven economy, struggling to make ends meet and stuck in tiny apartments because of soaring real-estate prices.
They think a democratically elected government would be more responsive to their needs than one chosen by pro-Beijing elites who benefit from the economic ties to China.
The Monday night assault on the legislature — in which glass walls were shattered, slogans spray-painted over the walls and the electronic voting system destroyed — seems to have hardened positions on both sides.
The pro-Beijing establishment condemned the violence, as did the Chinese government.
On the other side, a large swath of Hong Kong’s population expressed sympathy for the students, seeing them as having sacrificed for a shared cause, that of preventing an erosion of freedoms and increased Chinese influence over the territory.
Lam, who disappeared from public view for two weeks as protests mounted, pledged to do a better job of listening to the voices of young people in a morning speech on Monday, which marked 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return from British rule to China.
However, her invitation later in the week to meet behind closed doors was rebuffed by student unions at two Hong Kong universities as insincere and a publicity gimmick.
Student leaders said at a news conference on Friday that any meeting should be public and include a wider representation than just them.
They also demanded that protesters, dozens of whom have been arrested, would not be prosecuted.
“A closed-door meeting does not have any witnesses to prove what was discussed, the public does not know what the dialogue was about,” said Jordan Pang from the University of Hong Kong Students’ Union. “The public has the right to know.”
Ng Yat Ming, vice president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Students’ Union, said they would be condemned as traitors if they negotiated with Lam on behalf of the public.
“We believe it is a PR stunt,” he said.
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