#EverydayHongKong #29Aug2020
When Phone Screen Protectors in Hong Kong Have to Withstand Tear Gas and Beanbag Rounds

A sign post by a shop selling mobile phone accessories in Hong Kong reads:

"Tear gas-proof, beanbag round-proof, tempered glass screen protectors.

Protectors with a conscience:

Discount when you show your student ID"

========

Reflection from Photographer Kevin Cheng:

"I used to think that being a student is one of the happiest times of your life.

Why, when people buy phone screen protectors in this city, do they need to think about it surviving tear gas or beanbag rounds? And the store offers a student discount ...

How mad has this city become?"

Source: Kevin Cheng Photography #Aug29

https://www.facebook.com/194035600634409/posts/3172433359461270/

#TearGas #BeanBag #KevinChengPhotography

#TearGas
Lack of International Supervision on Tear Gas, Canadian Human Right Expert Urge to Ban as it can Spread Wuhan Virus

Source: Stand News #Sep08

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#TearGas
Lack of International Supervision on Tear Gas, Canadian Human Right Expert Urge to Ban as it can Spread Wuhan Virus

An International Human Right Project publication at the University of Toronto from last month said it is time to change the limitation for use of tear gas as the current law is no longer logical. The report pointed that tear gas could cause the spread of COVID-19.

Anti-riot agent, like teargas, has been banned from the means of wars in Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997. However, the law enforcement agencies in each country are not limited by this convention - they can use it in protests and riots. Last year, many places, such as Hong Kong, the U.S. Chile, Turkey, France, India and South Africa, broke out demonstrations, the law enforcement agencies had used teargas to disperse people for multiple times.

The International Human Right Project Team doubted that the governmentve has continuously overused dangerous teargas to prohibit citizens' freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Source: Stand News #Sep08
#WuhanVirus #CoronavirusPandemic #HumanRights #COVID19

#TEARgas #HongKongProtests
Inspired by Hong Kong Protests, Pocket-size Anti-tear Gas Respirator Won Industrial Design Excellence Award

Source: Virginia State University #Oct27

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#TEARgas #HongKongProtests
Inspired by Hong Kong Protests, Pocket-size Anti-tear Gas Respirator Won Industrial Design Excellence Award

//When widespread pro-democracy protests broke out in Hong Kong over the summer of 2019, tear gas became a favorite deterrent of Hong Kong police forces, with some agencies estimating that more than 2,000 canisters were being fired into crowds every day.

Using the protests in Hong Kong as a design challenge, industrial design students Alex Munro and Claudia Hasenfang, along with recent industrial design alumni Cole Powell and Ian Annis, created the Temporary Eye and Respiratory (T.E.A.R.) Mask.

The T.E.A.R. Mask is a pocket-sized anti-tear gas respirator that protects the eyes, nose, and mouth from the harmful effects of tear gas, which may include chemical burns, blindness, asphyxiation, and even death. Its design is compact enough fit in a pocket or purse, with a simple approach to use that can be deployed quickly and safely.

The result of almost a year’s worth of design iteration and prototype refinement, the T.E.A.R. Mask was recently recognized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (#IDSA) with a 2020 Industrial Design Excellence Award (#IDEA), one of the discipline’s highest honors.

“At its core, the T.E.A.R. Mask is a message about the importance of human rights,” Hasenfang said. “It’s about bringing attention to the misuse of tear gas, and about trying to protect freedom of speech and the right to protest. And our design is doing that.” //

Source: Virginia Tech Daily #Oct27

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Read full article:

Student-designed tear gas safety mask wins top industrial design award
https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2020/10/TEAR-Mask-IDEA-Award-winner.html

#VirginaStateU #Design #AwardWinning

Demonstrators burned the Chinese Flag to Protest the UN's Inaction; the Military Strafed Citizens, Causing At Least 1 Death and 2 Injured.

Anti-coup protests in Myanmar lasted for more than two months, making more than 500 death. After the mass demonstration on Easter Sunday, people protested across the country today (5th April). Some protesters burned the Chinese flag, which showed their dissatisfaction with China not speaking out in the United Nations. Furthermore, the military continued their bloody suppression in Sagaing Pinlebu that some citizens had been dispersed by tear gases and bullets, causing at least one death and two injured.

In Sagaing Pinlebu, the local citizens gathered for a protest in a secondary school that holds teachers' training. The military shot tear gases and bullets at the citizens and arrested two people. Some protesters were dissatisfied, and they brought self-made shotguns forward to support the arrested people but were fired by the military with live ammunition. One of the citizens, Aung Naing Win, died after the bullet broke through his rib cage, and also two more people were injured as they got shot.

Source: Stand News #Apr05

https://bit.ly/3s4oitT

#Myanmar #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #Protest #China #UnitedNation #Suppression #TearGas #Bullets #PoliceBrutality #SagaingPinlebu

#NeverForget #2Years
Lest We Forget: The Tearful Day Outside the #LegCo Building

June 12, 2021 marks the two year-mark of the first large-scale police-civilian clash in the #AntiELAB movement in Hong Kong.

Two years ago, pro-democracy Hongkongers surrounded the Legislative Council building, with a hope to prevent the second reading of the amendment bill that proposed extradition to China.

Despite the peaceful rally, the police deployed #TearGas grenades and shot #RubberBullets at unarmed civilians, causing countless injuries in the crowd.

Whereas the police was condemned on an international level for their abuse of power and use of violence, the authorities in Hong Kong insisted in categorizing the pro-democracy rally in the Admiralty area as a "riot".

The government's reaction infuriated many citizens, causing over 2 million people to take part in Hong Kong's largest protest in history on June 16, 2019.

Source: Stand News #Jun12

#TodayinHistory #NeverForgive #HongKongProtests #PoliceViolence

#PoliceState #Regime
Hong Kong Police Cordon Off Downtown to Suppress Gathering on Protest Anniversary

At around 16:00 in the shopping district #CausewayBay, the Hong Kong police set up cordon at Great George Street and East Point Road.

Over 50 officers ordered passersby and businesses to leave.

Read more:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30069

June 12, 2021 marks two years after the first large-scale police-civilian clash in the 2019 #AntiELAB movement in Hong Kong. The police use of excessive force including the deployment of #TearGas grenades and #RubberBullets at unarmed civilians on June 12, 2019 had sparked international criticism and the local population's outcry.

Source: Apple Daily #Jun12
https://bit.ly/35eIEaQ

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#TodayinHistory

#NeverForget #2Years Ago: Pro-democracy Hongkongers Sing Hallelujah to the Lord Overnight

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30056

Lest We Forget: The Tearful Day Outside the #LegCo Building

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30057

#PoliceState #2Years
Hong Kong Police Intercept 70-year-old Elderly for Donning Black and Wearing Yellow Facemask on Protest Anniversary

On June 12, 2021, 70-year-old Mr. Au Yeung walking with a cane was intercepted by the Hong Kong police in the shopping district Causeway Bay.

Read More:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30068

Mr. Au Yeung said the police has been monitoring him and his two friends. The police accused them of violating the gathering ban in the peopled district.

Mr. Au Yeung donned a black shirt that read "No Fear, Fight On" and wore a yellow facemask that read #FDNOL.

The day June 12, 2021 marks two years since the first large-scale police-civilian clash in the 2019 #AntiELAB movement in Hong Kong. The police use of excessive force including #TearGas grenades and #RubberBullets at unarmed civilians on June 12, 2019 had sparked criticism worldwide and the local population's outcry.

Source: InMedia #Jun12
https://bit.ly/3pLsX4c

#Elderly #HongKongProtests #FightHongKong #NeverForget

#Academia #Oppression #FreedomOfSpeech #University
Lingnan University Terminates Adjunct Appointment of 2 Outspoken Professors

#LingnanUniversity #HongKong #TearGas #NationalSecurityLaw”

Source: Stand News; #Sept30

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#Academia #Oppression #FreedomOfSpeech #University
Lingnan University Terminates Adjunct Appointment of 2 Outspoken Professors

In response to inquiries by Stand News, the Hong Kong Lingnan University (#HKLU) indicated the adjunct appointment of Law Wing-Sang and Hui Po-Keung have ended in September 2021, and their names have been removed from the school website's list of faculty members. They were professors of Cultural Studies.

The university did not mention the reason for not renewing their contracts.

Law and Hui are scholars active in pro-democracy protest movements, commenting often on current affairs. At the beginning of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, after the police fired tear gas on the gathering crowds, the two publicly condemned the government's actions and went on strike as teachers.

Hui is also a trustee of the “612 Humanitarian Relief Fund”, a fund supporting those injured or arrested during the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement.

After the implement of National Security Law, Law continued to comment on newspapers. He published an opinion piece in MingPao on September 3, 2021, saying that the implementation of the National Security Law had 'perfected' Hong Kong's democratic 'election' system overnight. It also put an end to the ongoing controversy over the pace of democratization since the city's “return to China”: “Hong Kong strides into the era of “authoritarian rule”.

Source: Stand News; #Sept30
https://www.thestandnews.com/society/a_%E5%B6%BA%E5%A4%A7%E8%88%87%E7%BE%85%E6%B0%B8%E7%94%9F%E8%A8%B1%E5%AF%B6%E5%BC%B7%E5%90%88%E7%B4%84%E7%B5%82%E7%B5%90-%E6%95%99%E8%81%B7%E5%93%A1%E5%90%8D%E5%96%AE%E5%B7%B2%E9%99%A4%E5%90%8D

#LingnanUniversity #HongKong #TearGas #NationalSecurityLaw #Censorship #Professor #LawWingSang #HuiPoKeung

6 Chinese-funded Companies Involved in Illegal Mining in the Republic of Congo, Beijing ordered to Evacuate

The government of Sud-Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa ordered 9 mining companies to suspend operations earlier, involving 6 Chinese-funded companies. The reason is that those companies have illegally mined and caused environmental pollution. The violated Chinese companies ignored the issues and continued their operations, causing the local citizens to protest in mining areas last month. The police, therefore, used tear gases for dispersing. Beijing government requested the relevant companies to stop operating and leave the place.

Wu Peng, Director-General of the Department of African Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, indicated that they have already finished the investigation on the incident. He ordered those companies to respect the local government - stop the operation and leave Sud-Kivu as soon as possible. Wu has also stated that those companies will be punished. “We would not allow Chinese companies to violate local laws.” “We support the Democratic Republic of Congo to buffet illegal economic activities”. South China Morning Post described it is very rare for Beijing to stop overseas companies’ operations. At the same time, the local government requested a review of China’s large-scale local project contracts.

Source: Stand News #Sep17

https://bit.ly/39Hqv7z

#DemocraticRepublicOfCongo #Congo #China #Beijing #Mining #Pollution #Protest #TearGas #Illegal #Oversea #Africa

#Court #AntiELAB
Pro-democracy Engineer tells Hong Kong Court to "Return the Power to the Citizens"

Part 1:

[Editor's notes: On July 28, 2019, the police fired numerous #teargas canisters and #rubberbullets in #SheungWan in order to disperse the crowd. 44 people were arrested, 21 of them were charged for rioting. The Court extended the trial from November 13 to December 4, 2021.]

In Hong Kong, 20 civilians, including an 26-year old engineer who pleaded guilty earlier, were accused of the riot at the police-citizen conflict at #SheungWan on July 28, 2019.

On December 4, 2021, Kun Kit-Wang, a 26-year-old engineer, defended himself in court in Hong Kong over rioting charges in the 2019 AntiELAB Movement.

Kun pleaded guilty before the trial and was under detention since May when he revoked his bail.

In court, Kun thanked the magistrate for reminding him to find a legal representative in the previous trial, but he still hoped to defend himself.

Kun said that during the 2019 #AntiELABmovement, #July28 was nothing special originally, but because of the Police’s indulgence of the #July21 indiscriminate attack in #YuenLong, that night triggered the most anger from citizens, and resulted in much anger on the rally on July 28.

He used a quote from #MartinLutherKing, "Riot is a language of the unheard", saying that the #riot classification reflects the government’s negligence of the citizens' opinion.

As a result, he admitted to being part of the riot with no hesitation and indicated that the government should feel ashamed of their actions, not the citizens.

He said there were two #rallies with a million people on #Jun9 and #Jun16, 2019, demonstrating the vox populi. Although the peaceful demonstration gained international accreditation, the Hong Kong government still ignored the backlash and made the decision on their own.

He recalled a quote painted on the wall of the #LegCo chsmber on #Jul01, 2019, "It's you who taught me a peaceful rally can't change anything." It expresses the hopelessness, frustration and anger felt by #Hongkongers at the time.

As there had been magistrate that were unknowledgable concerning the protesters' demands, Kun said that the protesters only hoped for having a chance to participate in policy advocacy, which some regard as "returning the power to the people".

If the #HongKongLegCo does not gain authorisation of the people or does not have a peaceful system to resolve problems, it is suppression. #MaoZedong has said, "fight as there is suppression".

He also pointed out that the #ProvisionalLegislativeCouncil (#PLC) installed by the post-handover government in 1997 was not authorised by the citizens. The handpicked council revived the #PublicOrderOrdinance, which became the law behind the prosecution of many dissidents.

As a person bound by the law, he would like to ask, "do I have the responsibility to obey a contract that I disagree with to begin with?”

Continue with Part 2:


Source: Inmedia #Dec04
https://bit.ly/3ozeOIm

#Defence #PoliticalOppression

#Court #AntiELAB
Pro-democracy Engineer tells Hong Kong Court: We would not be in court if we have democracy

[Editor's notes: On July 28, 2019, the police fired numerous #teargas canisters and #rubberbullets in #SheungWan in order to disperse the crowd. 44 people were arrested, 21 of them were charged for rioting. The Court extended the trial from November 13 to December 4, 2021.]

In Hong Kong, 20 civilians, including an 26-year old engineer who pleaded guilty earlier, were accused of the riot at the police-citizen conflict at #SheungWan on July 28, 2019.

On December 4, 2021, Kun Kit-Wang, a 26-year-old engineer, defended himself in court in Hong Kong over rioting charges in the 2019 AntiELAB Movement.

Read Part 1:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31827

Continue with Part 2:

In the courtroom, Kun pointed out that the magistrate may think he has a high possibility of reoffending, as he does not show regrets for what he has done. Kun pointed out that "whether it is a re-offence or another riot, it's not his choice but it is up to the government".

He also made reference to a movie, in which the emperor was worried about the number of the beggar's followers, so the emperor would like to dismiss them in order to have a “peaceful" governance. Nevertheless, the beggar told the emperor that no one would choose to be a beggar if the community was stable, and he was not the one to make a choice on whether the beggar community were to disband.

Kun recommended the government to "return the power to the citizens", listen to the citizens' demands, respect people's opinions and resolve the issues behind the riot. The government, however, "strangles the people's outcry with an iron fist", eliminating those who pointed out the problems in the society. Under the circumstances, how could citizens have peace?

He said that in the end, "Fellow defendants, including myself, would not appear in courts if it was a democratic society. Although I was rash on that day, I don't think there was anything wrong in the start. Perhaps, I feel sorry for my family and the people around me, but I have no regret, I am not going to plead, but I welcome a light sentence by the court. This self-defence letter is a small but real struggle in the reality that I live in.”

Source: Inmedia #Dec04
https://bit.ly/3ozeOIm

#PoliticalOppression #Defence