Five years ago, on this very same day, the 28th of September, CY Leung’s Government shot 87 tear gas bombs to Hong Kong people in the Harcourt Road, Admiralty, marking the start of 79 days of the Umbrella Movement. Polls show that 1.2 million Hong Kong people had participated in the Umbrella Movement.
The aim of Umbrella Movement was to fight for a genuine universal suffrage, including the right to nominate, right to elect and right to be elected.
Unfortunately, 5 years have passed, and we still don’t have the real universal suffrage.
Some people described that the Umbrella Movement ended in failure. But is it true that the movement that we all supported and participated in, had achieved nothing?
We’ve asked a lot of people, how would they describe the last five years. A lot of them said: “powerless” and “hopeless”.
Especially after the “Fishball Movement”, many people thought that “peaceful” protests no longer work, and “brave” protests could not succeed.
LEADERS of BOTH Umbrella AND Fishball movement were jailed. Hong Kong seemed to be facing a dead end.
We spent 5 years soaked in these hopelessness and powerlessness. Without mass protests, the HKSAR Government disqualified lawmakers, passed evil laws, and had done all the unimaginable things to destroy our system.
No one would have thought that, in 2019, another evil bill, the Extradition Bill, that was so blatantly and daringly attempted to be pushed through by Carrie Lam and pro-Beijing lawmakers, would start this huge “Anti-Extradition Bill Movement”.
Since June this year, 1 million, then 2 million, then again 1.7 million people took to the street in just three-month period. Surely, it is because of the arrogance and inability of Carrie Lam’s Government. But more importantly, it is because of YOU, who had participated in the Umbrella Movement, who had stayed with us in those 79 days, decided TO BE BACK to the streets again.
Together with the new generation of young protesters who were inspired to join this year, we created marvellous scenes of almost ONE-THIRD of our whole population came out to “fight against the tyranny and for democracy”. Five years after the Umbrella Movement, Hong Kong people once again made ourselves proud, and amazed the world.
We EVOLVED from the hopelessness and powerlessness, and stand up again STRONGER. Our new generation of protesters are wiser, smarter, with more energy and strategies, bravely resisting the persecution of Beijing and HK Governments.
We LEARNT from both Umbrella Movement and Fishball Movement, and EVOLVED to a new form of protest that is more united, more flexible, and finally SUCCESSFUL MADE Carrie LAM to withdraw the Extradition Bill.
However, “Five Demands, not one less”. As our five demands are not all heard and responded, WE CANNOT CLAIM THIS MOVEMENT SUCCESSFUL. But we are closer.
“NOT SPLITTING, STAY UNITED” is not only a slogan, but wisdom that evolved from our valuable past.
Social movement is created by stories after stories written by us. What we are facing NOW is only one chapter, 2 million is only a record waiting to be broken. The next chapter WILL ONLY BE BETTER AND BRIGHTER.
Let’s continue to fight for REAL UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE. Fight for ALL 5 DEMANDS.
香港人加油，Hongkongers, soldier on!
Civil Human Rights Front
28 September 2019