Protests against China extradition bill paralyse Hong Kong

HONG KONG-Agence France-Presse

Tens of thousands of protesters paralysed central Hong Kong on June 12, blocking major roads in a defiant show of strength against government plans to allow extraditions to China.

Black-clad demonstrators, most of them young people and students, surrounded government offices, bringing traffic to a standstill as they called on authorities to scrap the Beijing-backed plan.

Rows of riot police were far outnumbered by protesters -- many of whom wore face masks, helmets or goggles -- just hours ahead of a scheduled debate in the city's legislature.

By late morning, with crowds continuing to swell, officials in the Legislative Council (Legco) said they would delay the second reading of the bill "to a later date".

In scenes echoing the Occupy movement in 2014 that shut down swathes of the city for months, people flooded major roads and junctions in the heart of the city, dragging barricades onto highways and tying them together. Others plucked loose bricks from pavements.

Some protesters deliberately stopped their cars in the middle of one key artery and jumped out, blocking the road, RTHK reported.

Police used water cannons and pepper spray on protesters outside the Legco building and held up signs warning demonstrators they were prepared to use force.

Organisers of a gigantic march on Sunday said more than a million people turned out to voice their objections to the proposed law, which would allow Hong Kong to send suspects to other jurisdictions around the world -- including China.

But the record numbers have failed to sway pro-Beijing chief executive Carrie Lam, who has rejected calls to withdraw the bill.

Many opponents are fearful the law would entangle people in the mainland's opaque courts, leaving them vulnerable to a justice system seen as acting at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party.

More than 100 Hong Kong businesses said they would close on June 12 in a sign of solidarity with the protesters, and the city's major student unions announced they would boycott classes to attend the rallies.

A string of other prominent unions in the transport, social work and teaching sectors either followed suit or encouraged members to attend while a bus drivers' union said it would encourage members to drive deliberately slowly to support protests.

"It's the government who has forced people to escalate their actions, so I think it's inevitable for the fight this time to get heated," said protestor Lau Ka-chun, 21.

News of the postponed debate did not deter crowds swelling throughout on June 12.

"It's not enough to delay the meeting," said student Charles Lee, 23. "Stalling is not our ultimate goal. We need them to consider scrapping it... Clashes are unavoidable if they adopt this attitude towards their citizens."

Lawmakers had been due to debate the bill on June 12 morning in the city's legislature, which is dominated by Beijing loyalists, with a final vote expected on June 20.

It was not announced when the next meeting on the bill would be held.

"The only responsible thing to do now is for Carrie Lam to withdraw the evil bill, or at least to shelve it in order to solve the crisis," said pro-democracy lawmaker Fernando Cheung.

"Because the situation is very tense, if she forces it through and asks the police to use violence, I'm afraid Hong Kong's children will be hurt, will bleed."

Hong Kong's leaders say the proposed law is needed to plug loopholes and to stop the city being a sanctuary for fugitives, and that safeguards are in place to ensure that political critics of Beijing will not be targeted.

But many Hong Kongers have little faith in the government's assurances after years of heightened fears that a resurgent Beijing is trying to quash the city's unique freedoms and culture -- despite a 50-year agreement between Hong Kong's former colonial ruler, Britain, and China that means the city is guaranteed freedoms unseen on the Chinese mainland.

Western governments have also voiced alarm, with the US this week warning the bill would put people at risk of "China's capricious judicial system".

Beijing hit back on June 11, with a foreign ministry official saying China "resolutely opposes interference in Hong Kong affairs".

Hong Kong's stock market sank in morning trade by more than 1.6 percent amid the city-wide turmoil, making it the worst performer in Asia on June 12.