Following Hong Kong unrest, rally set for Saturday in Vancouver

Protest to demand authorities scrap a proposed extradition bill with China, in Hong KongThomas Peter / Reuters

The Chinese Embassy in Canada issued a statement Thursday saying: "People from the Canadian government made irresponsible and erroneous comments."

After days of unrest in Hong Kong, representatives of the Canadian and Chinese governments exchanged sharp words this week, while Vancouver community groups planned a rally to show solidarity with protesters in Asian port city.

Organizers said the rally, set for 11 a.m. Saturday outside Vancouver’s Chinese consulate at 3380 Granville St., has been planned to “condemn the violence” inflicted by Hong Kong police on protesters earlier this week during protests over a proposed law to allow China to demand extradition of suspects from Hong Kong. Saturday’s rally in Vancouver is being organized by the Canadian Friends of Hong Kong, the Vancouver Hong Kong Forum, and the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement.

Mabel Tung, chair of the Vancouver Society In Support of Democratic Movement, said citizens of both Canada and Hong Kong strongly value human rights, and it has been painful to watch coverage of the violent clashes unfolding in the streets of Hong Kong, which is a special administrative region of China.

“As Canadians, we have our universal values. We understand what human rights really mean,” said Tung, who emigrated from Hong Kong to Vancouver in 1979. “Our Canadian values I really treasure, and also I really treasure the place where I was born. So that’s why I have to speak up and do something about it.”

A rally outside Vancouver’s Chinese consulate last Sunday reportedly drew a crowd of hundreds. Tung expects this Saturday’s rally could draw more than 1,000 people, she said, because “people are very angry.”

Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement Wednesday saying Canada has been “closely following” Hong Kong’s proposed extradition bill, adding: “Canada remains concerned about the potential effect these proposals may have on the large number of Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, on business confidence, and on Hong Kong’s international reputation.”

The day after Freeland’s statement, the Chinese Embassy in Canada issued its own message, saying: “Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs. No other country, organization or individual has the right to interfere. … Recently, some people from the Canadian government made irresponsible and erroneous comments on the Hong Kong SAR government’s amendment to the ordinance and other Hong Kong affairs. We deplore and firmly oppose this.”

Jenny Kwan, the NDP Member of Parliament for Vancouver East who emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada as a child, issued a statement Thursday condemning both the extradition bill and the Hong Kong police’s response to the protesters.

“The government’s disregard of the protesters’ point of view and its unilateral decision making process has led to the escalation of the demonstrations and the violent confrontations that are now happening on the streets. There is no justification for a government to use such excessive force — tear gas and rubber bullets — against unarmed civilians in a peaceful demonstration,” Kwan said in the written statement. “It breaks my heart to watch so many young people, passionate about the fate of their birthplace, confront fully armoured riot police, and get beaten down and injured.

“It is my hope that the government of Hong Kong will restore peace and political stability to Hong Kong by respecting the wishes of the people and immediately withdraw the extradition bill.”

Hong Kong has deep ties with Canada and particularly Vancouver, said Fenella Sung, convener of the Canadian Friends of Hong Kong society. Immigration from Hong Kong, which ramped up in the 1980s and 1990s, has significantly altered the real estate, culture and business climates in Vancouver, Sung said.

“There is an old joke that Hong Kong is the 16th largest Canadian city,” Sung said, noting an estimated 300,000 Canadian citizens live in Hong Kong, a number that exceeds the population of cities like Burnaby, Saskatoon, and Kitchener, Ont.

“The exodus of the Hong Kong people because of political instability in Hong Kong and China, really, is very much a part of Canadian history,” Sung said.

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