A diaspora community of Hong Kongers in Bristol will hold events this week to commemorate pro-democracy protests that took place in Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020.
On Thursday there will be information stalls on College Green between 1pm and 5pm where people can learn about the issues facing Hong Kong and the continuing struggle for freedom in the city.
This is followed on Saturday by a demo on College Green to commemorate the events of July 21, 2019, when hundreds of people leaving a pro-democracy protest via Yuen Long train station were attacked by dozens of men in white t-shirts, suspected to be members of the gang, the Triads.
Police did not respond to calls for help until after the attackers had left the station, leading to accusations that the attack was orchestrated by the police themselves. The attack was captured on hundreds of videos and widely circulated online. Few of the attackers were subsequently arrested and fewer still prosecuted.
Throughout 2019 and 2020 there was widespread across Hong Kong as pro-democracy protesters fought with police in response to an extradition law passed by the Hong Kong parliament at the behest of the Chinese government. The law would have enabled China to force the extradition of Hong Kongers people to face trial in China.
In June 2020, the Hong Kong parliament passed several laws under the guise of security. Through these laws, 166 pro-democracy activists have been arrested, news outlets shut down and journalists arrested and freedom of assembly curtailed.