Hong Kong's Civilized Protestors on the Charm Offensive
With well-stocked food stands, fastidious recycling, unmanned phone-charging stations and even a chamber ensemble, Hong Kong's huge protests have a distinctly civilized flavor -- part of a charm offensive to maintain mainstream support.
The city is known for its low crime rate and orderly queues. So it is perhaps not surprising that the protests bringing parts of the Asian financial hub to a standstill -- and the political system to an impasse -- reflect its character.
But protesters know they are negotiating a delicate balancing act -- maintaining the movement's momentum while not forfeiting public support through overly confrontational actions and large-scale disruption in the congested city.
Those reading the Chinese mainland's heavily censored media could be forgiven for thinking mob rule has hit Hong Kong, with protesters dismissed as "radical activists".
An editorial in the Communist Party-linked Global Times described them as "political extremists (who) made good on their threat to paralyze Hong Kong's central business district by kicking off their illegal “Occupy Central' campaign”.
Yet repeated tear gas volleys from police on Sunday evening did not attract the return fire of projectiles, paving slabs and petrol bombs seen elsewhere around the world -- despite the palpable anger on the streets.
A picture popularly shared on social media showing crowds at the busy Causeway Bay shopping district posed the question: "Where can u find a city with over 50k protesters, but not a single store being damaged, not a single car set on fire?"
Equally police have shown compassion and recent restraint. A picture that went viral this week showed one officer rinsing two protesters' eyes with water after they were hit by tear gas.
On the barricades the most radical element of the protests appears to be their commitment to recycling: on the roadside in all the main areas neat piles of carefully sorted rubbish can be found.
Activists have also set up stands giving away everything a Hong Kong demonstrator might need, from water and gas masks to umbrellas and snacks.
In the areas blocked to traffic, human supply chains have taken over to ensure the stands remained stocked with donated goods flowing in largely from supportive locals.
"The cops, they are the one who did violent things, attacking people without any weapons, so as normal people we know we need to do something," said bank worker Maple Leung, who had popped down to the protest site in Admiralty during her lunch hour to bring bread and water to protesters.
James Poon joined them in Admiralty on Monday evening to offer his services as a paramedic, if needed.
"I'm here to help the people, everyone deserves proper medical treatment and last night it didn't seem they had it," he told AFP.
A British resident became an instant hit when he turned up with a barbecue and started doling out free hot dogs and hamburgers.
An altercation did erupt between a group of shopkeepers and protesters in Causeway Bay on Tuesday afternoon, as shopkeepers complained of lost business.
In Mongkok some protesters were heckled by disgruntled office workers whose commute has become a lot longer thanks to the road blockades.
The metro system has had to deal with a huge surge in commuters as many bus routes have been suspended. But despite the large queues even to get into the stations, few people were complaining.
"I don't see anyone coming around saying 'Oh it's such an inconvenience to me' because that misses the point of the bigger picture," said finance worker Chi Lam, 40.
Police have repeatedly said the protests are delaying emergency services when responding to residents.
"The daily life of the public and the emergency services have been seriously disrupted," said police Superintendent Steve Hui at a briefing Tuesday, adding that a firemen had to take the metro to respond to one emergency call because the roads were blocked.
Robert Chow, co-founder of the pro-Beijing Alliance for Peace and Democracy, warned that public opinion could shift fast against demonstrators.
"The protesters seem to have won the first battle. They are rejoicing in their victory but they must remember they are affecting the regular people of Hong Kong. They totally have Hong Kong under their thumb and public opinion could turn on them," he said.
Source: Agence France Presse
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