Giant tortoise Diego, a hero to his species, is home

Issued on: 15/06/2020 -

RODRIGO BUENDIA AFP/File



Quito, Ecuador (AFP)

Diego the giant Galapagos tortoise whose tireless efforts are credited with almost single-handedly saving his once-threatened species, was put out to pasture Monday on his native island after decades of breeding in captivity, Ecuador's environment minister said.

Diego was shipped out from the Galapagos National Park's breeding program on Santa Cruz to remote and unhabited Espanola in recent years, said the minister Paulo Proano.

"We are closing an important chapter" in the management of the park, Proano said on Twitter, adding that 25 tortoises including the prolific Diego, "are going back home after decades of reproducing in captivity and saving their species from extinction."


Espanola welcomed them "with open arms," he said.

Before being taken back by boat to Espanola, the 100-year-old Diego and the other tortoises had to undergo a quarantine period to avoid them carrying seeds from plants that are not native to the island.

Diego weighs about 80 kilograms (175 pounds), is nearly 90 centimeters (35 inches) long and 1.5 meters (five feet) tall, if he really stretches his legs and neck.

Diego's contribution to the program on Santa Cruz Island was particularly noteworthy, with park rangers believing him responsible for being the patriarch of at least 40 percent of the 2,000-tortoise population.

Around 50 years ago, there were only two males and 12 females of Diego's species alive on Espanola, and they were too spread out to reproduce.

Diego was brought in from California's San Diego Zoo to join the breeding program which was set up in the mid-1960s to save his species, Chelonoidis hoodensis.

The National Park believes he was taken from the Galapagos in the first half of the 20th century by a scientific expedition.

Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean, were made famous by 19th Century English naturalist Charles Darwin's studies of their breathtaking biodiversity.

© 2020 AFP

Under pressure from police, France backs off chokehold ban

COPS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SPECIAL INTEREST LOBBY

DISARM, DEMILITARIZE, DEFUND THER POLICE
Issued on: 15/06/2020 - 

File photo of French police officers protesting in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on June 14, 2020. AFP - THOMAS SAMSON

Text by:FRANCE 24Follow

Under pressure from police, the French government backed away Monday from a ban on chokeholds during arrests. It came days after French authorities announced stun guns, which caused a fatal police killing in Atlanta, would be tested for wider use.

Last week, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced the government would ban the use of chokeholds following protests over French police brutality and racial injustice unleashed by George Floyd’s death in the US.

The protests in France were focused on the 2016 death of Adama Traoré, who died in police custody.

But French police responded with five straight days of counterprotests, arguing that the ban deprived them of a key tool to subdue unruly suspects. They also bristled at being compared to police in the US, or painted as white supremacists.

On Monday, the national police director sent a letter to staff, obtained by The Associated Press, saying chokeholds will no longer be taught in police schools but they can continue to be used “with discernment” until alternatives are found.


Police unions hailed the reversal.

Activists and some lawmakers have long lobbied for French police to abandon violent techniques blamed for injury and possible death, such as chokeholds and pressing on a prone suspect’s chest.

The French government has also promised that more police officers will be equipped with body cameras to help ensure that identity checks don’t lead to excessive violence or discrimination against minority groups.

Researchers have documented racial profiling by French police, and investigations were opened recently into racist comments on private Facebook and Whatsapp groups for police officers.

Tens of thousands of people have marched or rallied around France over the past two weeks against police brutality and discrimination.

Stun gun tests in France hours after Atlanta police killing

Last week, French authorities also announced it would test stun guns for wider use, adding to the ranks of European law enforcement agencies that have recently adopted the weapon.

In Atlanta, just hours after the French stun gun announcement on Friday, a seemingly routine sobriety check outside a Wendy’s restaurant ended in gunshots after Rayshard Brooks grabbed a Taser from officers and ran.

The killing of the 27-year-old black man in an encounter with two white officers late Friday rekindled fiery protests in Atlanta and prompted the police chief’s resignation. One of the officers was dismissed.

Axon, the company that makes Tasers, has made a big push outside the United States in recent years and agencies in the Netherlands and Italy recently expanded use of stun guns, following the path of Britain, where use has increased steadily since they were introduced in 2003.

Stun guns are in limited but increasing use in France already. The number of discharges increased from 1,400 in 2017 to 2,349 in 2019. According to the French police oversight agency, stun guns killed one person last year and three suffered severe injuries.

Increasing stun gun use in Britain, Netherlands

Police in England and Wales discharged Tasers 2,700 times over the 12 months ending in March 2019, according to government statistics, which also showed black people were more likely than white ones to have stun guns used on them.

Britain's Independent Office for Police Conduct said last month that there were growing concerns “about its disproportionate use against black men and those with mental health issues.”

British rapper Wretch 32 posted video last week of his 62-year-old father being hit by a Taser in his London home during a police raid in April. The Metropolitan Police force said a review found no indication of misconduct, but London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for an urgent investigation.

According to Amnesty International, at least 18 people in Britain have died after a stun gun was discharged on them by police, but in many cases it was not determined that the weapon caused the death. The human rights group has said at least 500 people died after being hit by stun guns between 2001 and 2012 in the United States.


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Italy’s government approved using Tasers in January after a two-year trial and opened a bidding process to purchase nearly 4,500 stun guns to be divided among various law enforcement agencies. Police chief Franco Gabrielli said in March that the next phase would involve a period of training and “operational experimentation” in a half-dozen cities.

“The security of our personnel is first, obviously without causing damage to the people who might find themselves on the other side,” Gabrielli said outside a Genoa hospital where he had gone to visit two police officers injured in a shootout.

The Netherlands began issuing stun guns to police in 2017 and is training 17,000 of the force’s 40,000 officers. But far fewer of the weapons are on order and they will not be part of an officer’s standard equipment.

There are about 15,000 stun guns in France, which has a total police and gendarme force of around 240,000. In the US, by contrast, more than three-quarters of officers carry the weapons as standard issue, according to William Terrill, a professor of criminal justice at Arizona State University. Axon says it has standing relationships with 95 percent of American law enforcement agencies.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

Turkish jets drop bombs on Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq

WERE THOSE AMERICAN OR RUSSIAN BOMBS?

Issued on: 15/06/2020 -Turkish fighter jet taking off from Incirlik air base, le 28 juillet 2015. STR, AFP

Text by:NEWS WIRES

Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish militant targets in various regions of northern Iraq on Sunday night in response to an increase in militant attacks on Turkish army bases, the Defence Ministry said.

"The Claw-Eagle Operation has started. Our planes are bringing the caves down on the terrorists' heads," the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Twitter.

Turkey regularly targets Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, both in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast and in northern Iraq, where the group is based.

A security source told Reuters the warplanes took off from various air bases in Turkey, notably in the southeastern cities of Diyarbakir and Malatya.

The defence ministry subsequently said the air operation targeted the PKK in the region of its stronghold at Qandil, near the Iranian border, as well as the areas of Sinjar, Zap, Avasin-Basyan and Hakurk.


"The PKK and other terrorist elements are threatening the security of our people and borders with attacks increasing every day on the areas of our outposts and bases," it said.


The PKK, designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, focused in southeast Turkey.

While Turkish warplanes frequently target PKK targets in northern Iraq, Turkey has also warned in recent years of a potential ground offensive targeting the PKK bases in the Qandil mountains.

(REUTERS)

‘Extraordinary’ trial expected as Covid-19 victims take French state to court

Issued on: 14/06/2020

The Court of Justice in Paris. AFP - PHILIPPE LOPEZ

Text by:Aude MAZOUE

As France’s coronavirus epidemic abates, for now at least, legal proceedings against public authorities are being filed across the country as people argue that the illness or grief they suffered could have been avoided

]More than a hundred criminal complaints have been filed across France for “involuntary homicide or injury”, “endangering the lives of others” or “voluntary abstention from fighting a disaster”, coming from the families of deceased loved ones, mayors, unions and patients’ associations.

“The phone just keeps on ringing,” said a spokesperson for AVCCD France, a group representing Covid-19 victims in the country. “We’ve collected dozens of testimonies from victims over the past few days” – about 60, in total. “And we’ve only just started!”

In response to this influx of criminal complaints, Paris prosecutor Rémy Heitz announced on June 8 the opening of a vast investigation into the much criticised handling of Covid-19 in France that will supplement MPs’ investigations in a parliamentary commission tasked with getting to the bottom of what mistakes were made. Describing it as a “historic situation”, Heitz noted that it is the “first time that lawsuits have been filed while the crisis is still in full swing”, unlike in previous public health cases such as those over asbestos and contaminated blood, when “justice was served well after the fact”.

The consequent trial promises to be “extraordinary”, added Hervé Banbanaste, the lawyer for the Association of Covid-19 Victims for Help and Compensation (Avaic19).

GPs ‘denied face masks’

This trial could take “between five and seven years”, said Fabrice Di Vizio, a lawyer representing coronavirus victims’ groups the C19 Collective and AVCCD France. “But it’s important that the trial takes a long time, because we’ve got to understand the responsibilities of each actor in the health sector. It’s painstaking work, but it’s the price we pay for getting to the truth”.

Numerous complaints have been directed at Jérôme Salomon, France’s Director General of Health and a prominent figure in the media over the course of the epidemic. The French Chamber of Pharmacists and government bodies such as Public Health France, Regional Health Agencies and the prison administration are also targets.

But France’s nursing homes were the first to be singled out – unsurprisingly, seeing as over 9,700 of their residents succumbed to the coronavirus, more than a third of the French death toll. As the number of criminal complaints snowballed, families formed an association called Collectif 9,471, with the number referring to the death toll in nursing homes on May 5, 2020, the day the association was created.

Relatives of health workers who died of Covid-19 are among the complainants.

These include the widow of Ali Djemoui, a GP who worked in the Paris suburb of Champigny-sur-Marne. The 59-year-old died on April 2 after seeing nearly 1,400 patients in one month, at the rate of 60 a day, six days a week. “At the end of February the government claimed that GPs were not in contact with Covid-19 patients, but in fact Dr Djemoui had to work with patients who were coughing,” Di Vizio said.

“Between late February and mid-March, GPs were denied the face masks they needed,” Di Vizio continued. He also decried the fact that the Chamber of Pharmacists did not give instructions to import face masks at the time to deal with severe shortfalls.

Anger over March local elections

Djemoui’s widow wants to bring to justice those she sees as responsible for her husband’s death: the French state, the General Directorate of Health, Regional Health Authorities and the Council of Pharmacists. “I’m waiting for the justice system to recognise the state’s responsibility for failing to protect my husband,” she said. “I’m doing it to honour his memory and his profession, which he adored.”

France’s professional association for doctors estimates that around thirty of the country’s GPs have died of the coronavirus. GPs have accused Health Minister Olivier Véran of betraying his promise to equip them with the high-grade FFP2 masks, which experts recommend for workers on the frontline. Consequently, some thirty doctors in the C19 Collective have filed complaints at France’s Court of Justice. They question whether the authorities ever ordered protective equipment supplies for frontline workers and are demanding proof. Police unions have also filed complaints arguing that the authorities did not do enough to protect officers in contact with the public.

Others have brought legal proceedings against the government for holding the first round of France’s local elections on March 15, despite it being clear that the virus was surging through the country by that point. Chafia Zehmoul, an independent candidate for a seat in the Lyon suburbs, is the first elected official to have filed a complaint against the government over its handling of the coronavirus. “I was totally in the zone, campaigning all-out – shaking hands, kissing people,” she said. “The day after the election, I didn’t hear back from some of the members of my campaign team. I found out that they were in hospital. Two of them died; two of their family members also died. I was shocked.” Since then, Zehmoul helped found Avaic19.

“None of these complaints are political,” Di Vizio said. “It’s just a matter of finding out the truth and protecting the rights of victims.”

This article was translated from the original in French.

Colombia's ELN rebel group releases hostages

Two police officers and four civilians have been released to the Red Cross. After upending any chance for peace talks with a deadly attack last year, the group has signaled its willingness to temporarily end hostilities.




The National Liberation Army (ELN), one of Colombia's biggest active guerrilla groups, released six hostages on Sunday, according to a statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

"ICRC teams that visited the areas verified the six people were in adequate health conditions for their transfer," said the humanitarian organization.

The hostages included two police officers, who had been held captive for more than three months, and four civilians. Last week, the ELN also released hostages, including two workers of an oil company operating in the Arauca province near the Venezuelan border.

So far this year, Colombian armed groups have released 13 hostages to the ICRC.

"We are grateful to all the parties for the trust they continue to place in the ICRC to carry out our humanitarian work," said the ICRC's Nicolas Lennsens. "As long as the humanitarian consequences of the conflict and armed violence persist, we will continue to work to protect lives and the dignity of those affected by this reality."

Read more: Colombia's shattered hopes of peace

Elusive peace talks

Since a 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) effectively ended the group's operations, the ELN has now become the largest guerrilla group operating in the country with 2,000 active members.

The ELN launched a deadly attack on a police academy last year, killing 22 cadets and injuring 66 others. President Ivan Duque said the attack effectively upended the possibility of peace talks with the group. Last month, the Colombian military killed a key ELN commander in a targeted strike.

Since then, the ELN has signaled its willingness to cease hostilities under a UN-backed moratorium on fighting so that humanitarian organizations and public health authorities can better tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Colombian government has said it would not engage in peace talks until the ELN ends kidnappings, frees hostages, and ceases attacks on infrastructure.

ls/stb (Reuters, EFE)

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Lebanon: Protesters demand new government to tackle crisis
Protesters have described a unity government aimed at shoring up the economy and tackling corruption as a "failure." With the Lebanese pound on the verge of collapse, protesters have called for a new government



Hundreds of protesters rallied in Beirut on Saturday against the government and its response to the worst economic crisis Lebanon has seen since the end of its brutal civil war in 1990.

"This current government proved to be a failure. We want a new government," said Lebanese activist Neemat Badreddin. "We want stability and we want to be able to live without begging or without people having to migrate."

Last year, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned under pressure from anti-government protests against political elites, who are widely viewed as corrupt and responsible for plunging the country into its economic crisis.


Anti-government protesters in Beirut hurl rocks at Lebanese security forces during a demonstration against dire economic conditions

Converging crises

A new government led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab has failed to materialize economic progress. Even talks with the International Monetary Fund to unlock billions of dollars has failed to gain traction.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese pound has depreciated to historic levels, plunging to 6,000 Lebanese pounds to the US dollar on Friday, down from the official 1,507-pound peg put in place during the 1990s.

The depreciation has significantly increased the cost of living for those residing in Lebanon, including more than 1 million Syrian refugees. Restrictions on mobility and gatherings to curb the novel coronavirus have further dented Lebanon's aspirations for an economic recovery.

Read more: Syrian refugees in Lebanon more scared of starvation than COVID-19

'Lies and rumors'

Diab on Friday condemned rioting, accusing unnamed forces of attempting to mount a "coup" against his government.

"Some have tried to exploit the situation again," said Diab. "They have thrown lies and rumors, have contributed to deepening the Lebanese pound crisis, have caused a major crisis and have pushed people onto the streets."

The government said it would inject US dollars into the economy in a bid to prop up the Lebanese pound. But protesters largely agree that such efforts aren't enough to tackle the widening fallout of the economic crisis.

"We don't believe all the measures taken by the government to improve the dollar exchange rate," said a protester in Tripoli. "I just want a job so I can live."

ls/stb (Reuters, AP)


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Keywords Lebanon, protests, Middle East, currency, corruption

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Israel approves 'Trump Heights' settlement

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans for the controversial settlement in the Golan Heights last year. Now Israel's government has approved it.


Israel began preparations for a new settlement in the Golan Heights named after US President Donald Trump, following Israeli government approval on Sunday.

"We will start today with practical steps to construct Ramat Trump in the Golan Heights," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Ramat Trump in Hebrew translates as Trump Heights in English.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. Most of the international community considers the move, and Israeli settlements in the territory, illegal under international law.

But Trump signed an executive order in March 2019 recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

As a gesture of appreciation, Netanyahu unveiled plans to develop a plot of land next to the small settlement of Qela, based in the Golan Heights, and name it after the US president.

Under the plans, approved by the government on Sunday, 8 million shekels ($2.3 million, €2.04 million) have been earmarked for developing Qela, reported Reuters, citing Israeli media.

Read more: Trump's Golan recognition: A dangerous precedent?

Qela is home to under 300 people. Its neighborhood of Bruchim, which will be developed rebranded as Trump Heights, is currently home to just a dozen residents but will house up to 300 families when finished, said Settlements Minister Tzipi Hotovely in a Facebook post.

Israel has built dozens of settlements in the Golan Heights over the years, with an estimated 26,000 Jewish settlers living there as of 2019. Roughly the same number of Arabs live there, most of them members of the Druze sect of Shiite Islam.

Trump's recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel followed the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018, which sparked anger across the Muslim world.



Watch video02:43

Israeli Golan Heights residents look ahead to Trump town

kmm/stb (Reuters, dpa)
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Keywords Israel, Golan Heights, Donald Trump, US, geopolitics, Benjamin Netanyahu
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Berliners make socially distanced human chain to protest racism

Protesters across Germany formed socially-distanced human chains in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. They made their stand against racism linked by "ribbons of solidarity."

Watch video   https://p.dw.com/p/3

Thousands attend Berlin anti-racism protest


Thousands of people formed a socially distanced human chain through Berlin on Sunday in a protest against racism, discrimination, and social inequality.

Organizers of the "Indivisible" demonstrate told participants to wear protective face masks and stand apart from each other.

A human chain usually sees participant linking hands or arms, but this time protesters forming the 9 kilometer (5 ½-mile) chain were linked by colored ribbons, forming what organizers called a "ribbon of solidarity"

The line stretched from the iconic Brandenburg Gate and past the landmark Communist-era television tower at Alexanderplatz, down into the ethnically diverse Neukoelln district.


Read more: African nations call for racism debate at UN Human Rights Council

Organizers said they were keen to highlight inequalities in many areas of life.

"The coronavirus is worsening existing inequalities. Many people are threatened with being left behind. We will not allow that," said Unteilbar spokesman Georg Wissmeier in a statement.

"Human rights, social justice and climate justice belong together indivisibly."

Following the rules

Among the groups protesting was "Grannies against the far-right," who gathered at the Brandenburg Gate wearing protective face masks — some in pink knitted hats.

People appeared to keep to the hygiene restrictions during the event, which lasted just over an hour.


'Grannies against the far-right' also took part in the human chains

Police put the number of participants at about 5,000, while organizers estimated it at more than 20,000.

Read more: 'Race' has no place in the German constitution — or does it?

Berlin recently lifted coronavirus-related limits on the number of people who can attend demonstrations, though people are still required to keep at least 1.5 meters (5 feet) apart in public.

There were smaller demonstrations in other German cities.

In the northern city of Hamburg, police said 840 people formed a similar human chain using ribbon as the one in Berlin.

There were also anti-racism demonstrations in Leipzig, attended by some 1,400 people, and several other German cities including Freiburg, Chemnitz, Detmold, Plauen, Münster and Passau.

The events followed protests around the world on Saturday, including rallies Paris where police fired tear gas, and London where officers clashed with far-right counter-protesters.

kmm/rc (dpa/AP)

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Atlanta: Protests erupt, heads roll after police killing of black man

A police officer in the southern US city of Atlanta has been fired after the killing of a 27-year-old black man attempting to flee arrest. The mayor said she did not believe the use of deadly force was "justified." (14.06.2020) 

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Thousands attend Berlin anti-racism protest

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HONG KONG DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST EXTRADITION BILL
One country, two systems

China has long promised Hong Kong self-rule under the "one country, two systems" motto. But for those in the sprawling city, the extradition bill is the latest in a long line of examples of creeping Chinese control.




HONG KONG DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST EXTRADITION BILL
Out in force

Thousands of officers, including riot police, have been deployed throughout the city. Over the weekend, demonstrators hurled bottles at security forces and tried to push their way into the parliament building, but were blocked.




HONG KONG DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST EXTRADITION BILL
A question of autonomy and rights

Activists have decried the move to allow extradition to China, because of Beijing's poor human rights and legal record. Many in Hong Kong are also upset by the creeping authoritarianism in the city, after they were promised autonomy when the territory was given back to China from the UK in 19




HONG KONG DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST EXTRADITION BILL
Homage

Some protesters left umbrellas on the police barricades, an homage to the "Occupy Democracy" movement that began in 2014. The massive, months-long campaign was prompted by constitutional reforms that allowed Beijing to approve candidates for Hong Kong elections.

Permalink    https://p.dw.com/p/3dmH

One year on: Hong Kong protesters change tactics

Last June, Hong Kong protesters took to the streets against a proposed extradition bill and started a yearlong protest movement. Now they are fighting against another law, but with different strategies.


Dave Cheung, 25, used to be a frequent protest-goer. He identifies himself as a "radical" – a protester that is usually dressed in black, wears a gas mask, sets up roadblocks and confronts police on the front lines.

He was arrested when the protests started in June of last year, for being involved in clashes with police outside government headquarters, following a peaceful protest that same day. He was later released on bail, but the arrest didn't stop him from participating in more demonstrations.

Read more: Hong Kong: Thousands gather to mark anniversary of protests

The street protests began in response to a now-vetoed bill that would allow suspects to be extradited to China for trials. However, even after the bill was scrapped, protesters later raised other demands, including the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and universal suffrage.

The demonstrations were faced with heavy police crackdowns and mass arrests of protesters, particularly of the "radicals."

However, Cheung believes that taking to the streets is no longer an effective way to continue their fight.

"There's no use in confronting the police now. It's obvious that they are so much more equipped than we are, and that they won't bear the consequences for the things they did," Cheung told DW.

"We need to change our approach. It's obvious that the government doesn't care about how many people or how often we protest on the streets."

Harsh police crackdown

Since June 2019, police have fired more than 16,000 rounds of teargas, over 7,000 rubber bullets and made nearly 9,000 arrests – almost 40% of which were of students.

Police were accused of excessive use of force and conducting arbitrary arrests, which led to one of the five demands that protesters touted – an independent investigation into the police department's use of force. Instead, however, the government commissioned a police watchdog to conduct an examination, which lawmakers and international experts said was not truly independent and had no investigative power. The resulting report claimed that police "acted within the guidelines."

Cheung, who himself is facing a trial this month on a charge of illegal assembly, said that taking to the streets will now only lead to unnecessary harm. If convicted, he will face a maximum of five years in jail.

With Beijing's plan to impose a new national security law, which would ban treason, secession, sedition and subversion against the Chinese government, many fear that any criticism of either the Hong Kong government or the Communist Party will lead to prosecution.

"We need international attention. We need help from other countries," said Cheung. "We don't have enough power to fight alone."

Read more: A year of Hong Kong protests: Is Beijing finally regaining control?

Watch video https://p.dw.com/p/3dmH
Hong Kong democracy movement faces uncertain future

Garnering international support

The US, UK, Canada and Australia's condemnation of the security law offered protesters a small victory.

"The 'Hong Kong issue' has become very visible internationally," said Nathan Law, a founding member of pro-democracy party Demosisto.

In response to Beijing's decision to impose the law, the US revoked Hong Kong's special trade status, meaning that the city would no longer enjoy favorable tax policies and zero tariffs on imports and exports of goods with the US. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous enough to merit such status.

"Hong Kong has now been recognized as standing on the front lines in the fight against authoritarian China," said Law.

"That's what we wanted to achieve. We [Demosisto] have been very active in international lobbying. Hong Kong people need to have their own voice. We need to be the ones telling our own stories, not China," Law told DW.

Until now, the US has treated Hong Kong as a separate entity from the rest of China in terms of trade, as per a deal that was made before Britain handed control of the city back to Beijing in 1997.

The new status could cause huge damage to Hong Kong's economy, but activists see it as a step towards achieving a greater goal; showing China that there are consequences for its actions.

"China has never been held accountable for what it has done in terms of human rights abuses or its violation of Hong Kong's high autonomy," Law said.

"Many countries have expressed that they will impose sanctions if Beijing goes ahead with implementing the law. What we can do now is seize this chance to continue the fight with the changing international dynamics," Law said, adding that Hong Kong itself is a strategically important place, both politically and economically.

Watch video https://p.dw.com/p/3dmH
Will China's new national security law for Hong Kong be the end of autonomy in the territory?

Alternative to street protests While WihleWhile politicians and activists like Law are lobbying and campaigning to attract more international support, others are working on pressuring the local government.

"Because of police brutality, the COVID-19 social gathering ban and the national security law, many people are afraid to speak out. That's why we want to provide a safe channel for our members to express their opinions," said Vic Tse, a representative of a new coalition of labor unions.

Read more: Hong Kong security law: What does China really intend?

The coalition, which comprises 24 unions across 20 different industries, recently called for a referendum on whether to go on strike against the proposed national security law.

"We hope that even when social gathering ban is in place, there are other ways to keep protesting and to keep telling the government that we don't want this law," said Tse, who is also the chairperson of Hong Kong Public Relations and Communications Union that was formed in December 2019, during the protests.

According to Hong Kong's Labor Department, 1,578 applications for union registration were submitted over the first three months of 2020, compared with 142 across all of 2019 and 13 in 2018. As police are increasingly rejecting applications to hold rallies, those who protest anyway are now at greater risk of being arrested for "illegal assembly." Large-scale, organized union actions such as general strikes thus provide an alternative to the traditional protest movement.

Tse's coalition hopes that the referendum will gather over 60,000 votes. If over 60% of the votes support the motion, they will go ahead with a three-phase general strike, with the first phase lasting for three days in order to first warn Beijing against the consequences of implementing the law in Hong Kong.

A general strike in August last year against the now-withdrawn extradition bill sent the city into chaos, leading to the cancellation of more than 200 flights, as well as the disruption of train and bus services. But subsequent strikes haven't created as much momentum, and in many cases, Tse said, have led to serious repercussions for the few people who participated in them. A referendum, she said, would ensure that enough people take part in order to minimize overall risk for participants.

"The paradox of strikes is that the more people participate, the less dangerous it is because the chance of repercussions is lower. They can't just fire everyone," said Tse.

Cheung, while awaiting trial and facing an uncertain future, said he is in favor of a general strike and will participate without a doubt. "We have come so far, and at this point, there's not much to fear. If we don't speak out now, we might never be able to speak out again. And we all know that if we succumb to the repression this time, only more repression will come."



HONG KONG DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST EXTRADITION BILL
Defiance
Despite official calls to disperse, demonstrators continued to march on Wednesday. They overturned police barriers and stood their ground even when confronted with pepper spray and a threat by police to use force if they continued to oppose their orders.

Date 15.06.2020
Author Cherie Chan
Related Subjects Asia, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong
Keywords Asia, Hong Kong, China, protests, Beijing