Hong Kong Watch stands with Hong Kongers commemorating 7th anniversary of the ‘612 incident’

Today, Hong Kong Watch marks the seventh anniversary of the ‘612 incident’, where peaceful protesters outside the Hong Kong Legislative Council were met with rubber bullets and tear gas from the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), for the first time during the 2019 anti-extradition law protests in Hong Kong. We stand in solidarity with Hong Kongers around the world in commemorating this landmark incident.

Between 12 June 2019 and 29 February 2020, the HKPF fired a total of 19 rounds of live ammunition, 16,191 rounds of tear gas, 10,100 rounds of rubber bullets, 2,033 beanbag rounds and 1,880 rounds of sponge bullets at protesters.

This year, Hong Kong diaspora groups in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Taiwan and Japan will commemorate the ‘612 incident’ with a global 24-hour umbrella relay. Hong Kongers around the globe will hold up umbrellas in public for over 24 hours across different time zones, to signify their unity and unwavering spirit in the fight for democracy.

Seven years on, the Hong Kong authorities have continued their persecution of pro-democracy protesters. This week, four men were sentenced to up to 37 months in jail for rioting during the 2019 protests, and a former law student previously acquitted of rioting charges was convicted after a retrial following a successful appeal from the Department of Justice. This week, the Hong Kong government also proposed new subsidiary legislation under Article 23 which allows the Chief Executive to certify any criminal offence as a national security case.

As the Hong Kong authorities attempt to rewrite history and reframe protest activities as criminal, we stand firmly with the people of Hong Kong and pay tribute to the courage and resilience of Hong Kongers around the world in their struggle for freedom and democracy.

反送中七週年｜政權繼續迫害爭取自由民主港人  香港監察堅決站在港人一方

香港監察今日紀念在2019年香港反對修訂《逃犯條例》運動期間發生的「612事件」七週年，香港警察當日首次向香港立法會外的和平示威者施放橡膠子彈和催淚彈。我們與世界各地的香港人並肩同行，一同紀念這具標誌意義的事件。

在2019年6月12日至2020年2月29日期間，香港警察一共向示威者發射19發實彈、16,191枚催淚彈、10,100發橡膠子彈、2,033發布袋彈和1,880發海綿彈。

今年，英國、美國、加拿大、澳洲、台灣和日本的海外港人團體將舉行24小時全球接力撐傘行動，紀念反修例運動七週年。全球各地的香港人將跨越不同時區，在公眾地方撐起雨傘超過24小時，象徵在抗爭路上團結一致與堅毅不屈的精神。

七年過去，香港當局繼續迫害爭取民主的示威者。本週，四名涉及2019年11月理工大學衝突的男子承認暴動罪，最高被判監37個月；涉及2019年8月31日灣仔衝突的前法律系女學生原獲裁定暴動罪名不成立，其後律政司上訴得直，案件發還重審後改判罪成。香港政府本週亦根據《維護國家安全條例》（俗稱「23條」）訂立附屬法例，授權行政長官發證明書認定某刑事罪行屬危害國安案件。

當香港當局企圖篡改歷史，將抗爭活動定義為犯罪時，我們堅決站在香港人一方，並向世界各地爭取自由與民主港人的勇氣與堅韌致敬。

Photo: Citobun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons