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Stolen painting reappears after 23 years, in the same gallery where it was taken
Why steal a painting and leave it behind

The missing Gustav Klimt painting 'Portrait of a Lady' is displayed after being stolen 23 years ago.
(Image: © Antonio Calanni/AP/Shutterstock)

A famous painting by Austrian Gustav Klimt had been missing for 23 years. Now, it turns out, the painting was hidden in the walls of the gallery from which it was stolen.

The 1917 Klimt, known as "Portrait of a Lady," was found missing from the Ricci Oddi modern art gallery in Piacenza, Italy, on Feb. 22, 1997. It's still unknown who took the artwork, but now it appears that the painting may have never left the gallery grounds. A gardener at the gallery said he was clearing ivy on Dec. 10, 2019, according to the Associated Press, when he found a bag in a gap in the walls. That bag contained the portrait, in remarkably undamaged condition.

"It's with no small emotion that I can tell you the work is authentic," Piacenza prosecutor Ornella Chicca said during a Jan. 14 press conference, according to the Associated Press.

Related: In Photos: Medieval art tells a tale

The only major sign of wear, according to the AP, is a small mark on the side of the painting where it may have been hurriedly removed from its frame.

Klimt, an Austrian painter best known for his colorful, patterned portraits of women, produced works that now command enormous sums on the open market. According to the AP, Oprah Winfrey recently sold Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II" for $150 million.

It's possible, according to Anne-Marie O'Connor, an expert in stolen Klimt art who was interviewed by the AP, that the thieves stashed "Portrait of a Lady" in the gallery wall – hoping to return to recover and sell it once news of the theft died down. But in the 1990s, the values of Klimt's works were climbing sharply; the thieves may have concluded it would never be possible to sell the artwork to a private buyer.

O'Connor is the author of a book, "The Lady in Gold," which documents the successful effort to recover five other stolen Klimt works. The paintings desribed in the book — the most notable of which was "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" — were stolen by Nazis during the Holocaust from the Jewish Block-Bauer family. The works ended up in the possession of the Austrian government. Adele Bloch-Bauer's niece Maria Altmann filed a lawsuit in 2000 demanding the paintings' return. The suit ended up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the paintings were returned to Altmann in 2006.

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Explainer | What does Beijing’s new national security law for Hong Kong cover, and who should worry?

The possibility of new security bodies in the city, or ‘one-size-fits-all’ charges being used against activists are among issues prompting concern

Despite the central government’s move, local leadership is still expected to craft their own national security law under the Basic Law’s Article 23

Jeffie Lam and Kimmy Chung
Published: 11:09pm, 22 May, 2020

Chinese security officials stand guard outside the Great Hall of the People after the opening session of China's National People's Congress in Beijing on Friday. Photo: AP

In a political bombshell that carries potentially drastic implications for Hong Kong, Beijing has decided to bypass the Legislative Council and craft a new national security law tailor-made for the city. The new law was introduced after almost
a year of increasingly violent anti-government protests, and has sparked concerns over the fate of the “one country, two systems” blueprint that has guided Hong Kong since the handover. Here are the answers to key questions.


1. What is the draft legislation about?

According to
the resolution put forward at the National People’s Congress (NPC) on Friday, the new law is intended to prevent, stop and punish acts in Hong Kong that threaten national security, and encompasses secessionist and subversive activity as well as foreign interference and terrorism.


The NPC also highlighted the responsibility of Hong Kong’s leader to protect national security by launching promotional and education programmes on the matter, prohibiting acts that threaten national security, and submitting reports to the central government on a regular basis.

A year of dramatic anti-government protests preceded Beijing’s decision to push forward its own national security law for Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang


2. Who is going to enforce the law?


This remains unclear, but the resolution has specified that relevant Beijing authorities overseeing national security can set up organisations in Hong Kong if necessary, implying mainland agents would have enforcement powers within the city.


Ip Kwok-him, a local NPC deputy, defended the potential necessity of mainland agents. “When foreign interference is involved, it is not something Hong Kong departments can tackle on their own,” he said.


Pro-establishment heavyweights – including former Basic Law Committee vice-chairwoman Elsie Leung Oi-sie – have said that even if mainland agencies were established in the city, their staff would still be bound by local laws.

3. How will the legislation be promulgated and when is it likely to happen?

Under Article 18 of the Basic Law, national laws can only be applied in Hong Kong if they are listed in Annex III of the mini-constitution and related to defence, foreign affairs or “other matters outside the limits” of the city’s autonomy. The national laws would then either be promulgated – taking effect automatically – or adopted through local legislation. Beijing has opted for the former, effectively bypassing the city’s legislature.
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The NPC is expected to vote on the resolution at the end of the annual session, likely on May 28. The resolution will then be forwarded to the NPC Standing Committee, which will craft the bill’s details. The draft law will then be presented at the start of the bimonthly meeting of the Standing Committee as early as June. Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole representative on the NPC standing committee, said it usually took one or two of the weeklong meetings for the committee to pass a law, meaning it could be passed by either June or August.

Critics point to the case of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, sentenced to 11 years in prison for inciting subversion, as an example of how national security laws might be used to clamp down on dissidents. Photo: Robert Ng


4. What are critics’ main concerns?


By enacting the national security law through promulgation, opposition politicians have said there was no room left for discussion or negotiation in Hong Kong on how the bill should be drafted. They have warned the law would be akin to certifying the death of one country, two systems, as it would allow Beijing to install a new and unregulated legal system in Hong Kong.



Veteran democrat Lee Cheuk-yan has expressed fear that crimes such as subversion could be used arbitrarily as a “one-size-fits-all” charge against activists. He pointed to how Beijing has used existing national security laws to clamp down on mainland dissidents, such as the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for inciting subversion.



Several international business chambers – including the American Chamber of Commerce in the city – have warned the legislation would put the city’s position as a global financial hub in jeopardy.


Amnesty International also warned: “This attempt to bulldoze through repressive security regulations poses a quasi-existential threat to the rule of law in Hong Kong and is an ominous moment for human rights in the city.”

A black hand meant to symbolise the Basic Law’s Article 23 is held up by a member of a pro-democratic party, while a Chinese flag is held up by a member of a pro-Beijing group during a 2018 National Day protest in Hong KOng. Photo: Winson Wong


5. Why hasn’t Hong Kong enacted its own national security law since the handover?


Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, requires the Hong Kong government to enact national security legislation on its own.



But an attempt to legislate Article 23 in 2003 was abandoned after an estimated half a million people took to the streets against it, fearing it would curb their rights and freedoms. The Hong Kong government has since steered clear of reintroducing the legislation, with incumbent leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor reiterating “a favourable environment” was needed to tackle the controversial issue.


6. Why is Beijing pressing ahead with a national security law knowing it would risk a backlash?


The new law comes almost a year after unprecedented social unrest – triggered by the now-withdrawn extradition bill and accompanied by increasingly violent anti-government protests – erupted in Hong Kong last June. Politicians and demonstrators have also lobbied for international support via overseas visits and online campaigns – drawing the ire of Beijing, which views it as a form of foreign interference.


In November, the United States signed into law the Human Rights and Democracy Act, which would allow Washington to suspend Hong Kong’s special trading status based on an annual certification by the US State Department, which determines whether the city retains a sufficient degree of autonomy under the one country, two systems framework. The US – amid an increasingly tense relationship with Beijing – has until the end of this month to make that decision for the first time.


In Hong Kong, the city’s pro-democracy bloc, which scored a landslide victory in the district council elections in November, is mounting a “35-plus” campaign to seize control of the 70-member legislature in the September polls and block all bills put forth by the government.


It is against that backdrop that Beijing decided to fire the pre-emptive shot, declaring it had to step in given how difficult it would be for the local government to enact the long-overdue law on its own amid the “worsening” situation.

An annual vigil marking the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown takes place every year in Hong Kong. Its organisers’ calls for an end to one-party rule have some fearing they will fall afoul of the new national security law. Photo: Sam Tsang


7. Does Hong Kong still need to craft its own national security legislation based on Article 23?


The answer is yes, according to the NPC resolution. It emphasised that the local administration still has a constitutional responsibility to enact Article 23 as soon as possible, and that the legislation cannot contradict the version being drafted by Beijing.


Article 23 states that the national security law must prohibit acts of “treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the central people’s government, or theft of state secrets” as well as prevent “political organisations or bodies of the region from establishing ties with foreign political organisations or bodies”.


The Beijing-decreed law bans acts of secession, subversion, foreign interference and lastly, terrorism – an offence not covered in Article 23 – implying that acts of treason, sedition and theft of state secrets remain outstanding items that would still needed to be addressed.


Professor Simon Young Ngai-man, associate dean (research) of the University of Hong Kong’s law school, described the promulgation of the national security law as alarming, saying it undermined the clear legislative intent that “the requirements of Article 23 were to be enacted by Hong Kong ‘on its own’ and not to be imposed top-down by the central government”.


That could be one explanation as to why Beijing has repeatedly said its security law was different from Article 23.

“A total substitution [of Article 23] would mean an amendment of the Basic Law as well, which involves complicated procedures,” a NPC deputy who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

Fellow activists fear former ‘Umbrella Movement’ leader Joshua Wong, secretary-general of Hong Kong's Demosisto party, will be targeted under new national security legislation being introduced by Beijing. Photo: AFP

8. Who might be affected by the new law?

Hong Kong has long been the only place on Chinese soil to organise a large-scale annual vigil commemorating the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. The vigil organiser – the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China – has over the years called for the end of one-party rule.

The city’s activists are pessimistic the alliance would be allowed to exist under the proposed national security law.

“Some slogans, such as calls to end one-party rule in China, will be stepping on red lines,” lawmaker Tanya Chan, convenor of the bloc, said. “There may be risks in supporting human rights activists in China who are jailed for subversion.”

She also warned the proposed law could also be used to bar opposition activists from running in local elections. “Will lawmakers and candidates who have chanted slogans be disqualified?” Chan asked.

The law would presumably also go against those who push a localist or pro-independence line, superseding the need for the city to look to common law.

Some pundits have suggested the law could affect young activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung and his Demosisto party. In recent years, both have led Hong Kong civil society’s international lobbying efforts.

HKU legal academic Young also warned that the national security law would curtail the sponsorship of activities by foreign NGOs and governments.

Additional reporting by Sum Lok-kei and Chris Lau
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COMMENTS

Jeffie Lam
Jeffie writes predominantly about Hong Kong politics, but is also interested in social welfare issues, such as the city's ageing population and elderly care. She joined the Post in 2013 after beginning her career as a political reporter in 2009. In 2016, she won the English features merit prize in the 20th Human Rights Press Awards.


Kimmy Chung
Kimmy Chung joined the Post in 2017 and reports for the Hong Kong desk on local politics and Hong Kong-mainland issues. Prior to joining the Post, she covered Hong Kong politics and social policies for more than six years for different media outlets.


SEE

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https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/05/tear-gas-fired-arrests-made-as.html

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Mysterious yellow line appears on 23 miles of Florida highway

Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Drivers on a stretch of highway in the Jacksonville, Fla., area reported a mysterious yellow line weaving through lanes, and officials said they are still trying to determine its origins.

The yellow line was discovered this week on a 23-mile stretch of southbound Interstate 95, starting at the Acosta Bridge and ending at St. Johns County Road 210 in St. Augustine.

Drivers said the yellow line, which would usually denote a barrier vehicles aren't supposed to cross, weaves in and out of lanes.

"You couldn't not notice it," driver Richard Campbell told First Coast News.

Some travelers raised concerns about safety.

"It's a yellow line with a yellow line on the other side," Richard Albandy told WJXT-TV. "Most people like, especially if they are out of town, they're not really too much looking at if that's the line that goes where they're supposed to go. They are trying to get to their destination."

Florida Department of Transportation officials said they believe the line is the result of paint spilling from a truck, but they have yet to identify the source.

"I don't believe that anybody has taken responsibility for it yet. But we're going to work with whoever we can make sure that that's identified," FDOT Community Outreach Manager Hampton Ray said.

FDOT officials warned operators of self-driving vehicles to switch the feature off while traveling in the area to avoid their vehicles becoming confused.

"We're going to have an operation, where we take a street sweeper, with a wire brush, and we will be going and doing our best to dislodge some of the yellow paint from the roadway," Ray said. "We do not expect this to be the end-all solution."

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Boeing lost $636M in 2019 -- its first annual loss in 23 years

ROBERT ANTON WILSON RAW DREW OUR ATTENTION TO THE NUMBER 23 SYNCHRONICITY FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES IN HIS WORK ILLUMINATUS

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By

Clyde Hughes

Boeing lost $636 million in fiscal 2019, the company said Wednesday -- its first annual loss since 1997. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Owing to a multi-billion-dollar bill over the grounding of its 737 Max fleet, U.S. aviation giant Boeing on Wednesday reported its first annual loss in nearly a quarter-century.

In its fourth-quarter earnings report, the company said it sustained a $2.33 per-share loss in the last quarter of 2019 and revenue fell 37 percent to $17.9 billion. For the year, Boeing reported a loss of $3.47 per share -- or $636 million -- and said the costs stemming from the 737 Max's troubles are approaching $19 billion.

The annual loss is Boeing's first since 1997. The company posted a $10.5 billion profit in 2018 before two crashes overseas forced it to pull the airliner from service. Earlier this month, Boeing suspended production of the 737 Max"We recognize we have a lot of work to do," new Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun said in a statement. "We are focused on returning the 737 Max to service safely and restoring the long-standing trust that the Boeing brand represents with the flying public."

RELATED Dutch airline KLM lifts ban to resume flights over Iran

The planemaker has absorbed billions of dollars in fiscal hits since the 737 Max fleet was grounded worldwide last March. For nearly a year, it has been working on a fix to the model's automated flight software but has yet to make the repairs and secure final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

"We are committed to transparency and excellence in everything we do," Calhoun added. "Safety will underwrite every decision, every action and every step we take as we move forward. Fortunately, the strength of our overall Boeing portfolio of businesses provides the financial liquidity to follow a thorough and disciplined recovery process."

The three U.S. carriers who fly the 737 Max -- American, Southwest and United -- have all removed the model from their flight schedules until at least mid-2020.

RELATED Southwest Airlines scrubs Boeing 737 Max flights through early June

Calhoun replaced former chief executive officer Dennis Muilenburg in December. Muilenburg gave up his chairman title last October to focus on trouble with the 737 Max but problems getting the airplane back in the air persisted.

30% of Americans say coronavirus was made in a lab, despite evidence to the contrary, Pew survey finds
Published: April 13, 2020 By Quentin Fottre

Younger U.S. adults were more likely than older people to say the virus was developed in a laboratory

Beliefs about the origins of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, are also split along educational lines. MarketWatch photo illustration/iStockphoto

What’s the difference between an urban myth and a fact supported by evidence? Not a lot, it seems.

Nearly 3 in 10 (29%) Americans say the novel coronavirus was most likely created in a laboratory, according to a survey of nearly 9,000 adults in the U.S. conducted from March 10 to 16, 2020 by the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank.

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However, a sizable minority have a conspiracy theory about how it started. Roughly one quarter of adults (23%) say it is most likely that the current strain of coronavirus was developed intentionally in a laboratory, while 6% say it was most likely made accidentally in a lab.
That’s despite evidence that the virus came about naturally and jumped from a bat in a food market to another animal and then to a human, according to scientists, “though there is some uncertainty about how it first infected people,” Pew noted.

Younger U.S. adults were more likely than older people to say the virus was developed in a lab: One-third of adults aged 18 to 29 said it was developed in a lab (35%) versus 21% of adults 65 and older. Experts say it likely emerged at a food market in Wuhan, China.

Some 10,056 of the 23,608 U.S. fatalities were in New York State, as of Monday; almost 7,000 of those were in New York City. Nearly 189,000 of the 581,918 confirmed cases in the U.S. were in New York State. There number of confirmed cases worldwide hit 2 million, with nearly 120,000 deaths.

HKFP Lens: Threat of national security law triggers fresh protest clashes in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police fired tear gas and made at least 180 arrests after protesters gathered in Causeway Bay to rally against the looming national security law – click here for full coverage.

PHOTO ESSAY HONG KONG FREE PRESS
HONG KONG PROTESTS SUNDAY MAY 24
EXCERPTS 
https://hongkongfp.com/2020/05/24/hkfp-lens-threat-of-national-security-law-triggers-fresh-protest-clashes-in-hong-kong/


VIDEOS AT END

Thousands of demonstrators convened at SOGO department store in Causeway Bay at around 1pm on Sunday and began marching to Wan Chai’s Southorn Playground.

Masked protesters smashed the windows of fashion boutique A Bathing Ape – belonging to Hong Kong conglomerate I.T, whose owner is accused of being pro-Beijing. Demonstrators pulled mannequins out from its window display, using them as makeshift roadblocks.


Such slogans could become illegal when the national security law – which is likely to target secession, subversion, and terrorism – kicks in.


Riot police earlier raised blue banners calling on protesters to disperse after arresting People Power Vice-chair Tam Tak-chi.


Along Hennessy Road police deployed a water cannon truck, which struck nearby journalists, as well as along Canal Road underneath the flyover.



A 51-year-old woman is in a critical condition. Two men and two women are in a stable condition, while one woman has been discharged.
 
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Man who's sorry for burning B.C. Masonic buildings gets 2.5 years with time served

VANCOUVER — A British Columbia provincial court judge has sentenced a man who set fire to three Masonic buildings to 40 months in prison.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Minus time served, Benjamin Kohlman's sentence amounts to about 2 1/2 years in prison.

The 43-year-old man pleaded guilty in September to arson charges for setting three fires within an hour of each other, two in North Vancouver and one in Vancouver.

Judge Laura Bakan said she accepted Kohlman was sorry for his actions and offered her hope that he would be able to deal with his addiction issues while in prison.

The court heard the fires caused more than $2.5 million in damage, including the complete loss of the Masonic hall in North Vancouver.

Both Crown counsel and Kohlman's defence lawyer told the court he targeted Masonic buildings in an attempt to stop the "Illuminati using mind control" and voices directed him to start the fires.

Crown attorney Jonas Dow had asked for a prison sentence up to five years, while the defence called for a two- to three-year sentence.

Kohlman's lawyer, Jessica Dawkins, told the court her client set the fires early in the morning so no one would be harmed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2021.

The Canadian Press

Tear gas fired, arrests made as thousands protest against Beijing’s planned national security law for Hong Kong

Police say at least 180 people arrested in crackdown as protesters spread out along streets of Causeway Bay and Wan Chai

Top Chinese officials seek to ease fears about new law’s impact on local freedoms but remain stern about seeing it implemented

Phila Siu and Chris Lau

 SOUTH CHINA MORINING POST SCMP
Published: 1:10pm, 24 May, 2020

VIDEOS AT THE END


Riot police fire tear gas at the junction of Hennessy Road and Percival Street. Photo: Sam Tsang

Police fired multiple rounds of tear gas in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay shopping district on Sunday as thousands took to the streets to protest against Beijing’s
planned national security law for the city, even as top Chinese officials sought to ease fears about its impact on local freedoms but remained stern about seeing it implemented.

Police said at least 180 people were arrested – mostly on suspicion of unauthorised assembly, unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct in a public place – in a crackdown as protesters spread out along streets of Causeway Bay and Wan Chai.

A water cannon truck was used and volleys of tear gas were fired in a series of confrontations as some radicals among the protesters defying the government’s
coronavirus crowd restrictions blocked multiple roads, smashed traffic lights, lit small fires and hurled bricks dug up from pavements at police.

Some also vandalised shops, while at least two people objecting to the roadblocks were severely assaulted by black-clad groups.

Ten people were admitted to hospital, including a 51-year-old woman in critical condition, the Hospital Authority said. The other nine were either in a stable condition or later discharged from hospital. The woman, reportedly a cleaner with underlying heart problems, had suffered a panic attack and collapsed as a group of people rushed into a toilet where she was.

The protests erupted just hours after Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng, Beijing’s top leader in charge of Hong Kong, told local delegates to the national legislature that Beijing’s determination to push through the national security law should not be underestimated, and that mainland authorities would “implement it till the end”.

As night falls, police attempt to clear protesters near Times Square in Causeway Bay, taking at least one person away

Video: SCMP/Chris Lau
pic.twitter.com/y68uAN1Xd8
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong)
May 24, 2020
At the ongoing
National People’s Congress session in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi sought to ease concerns about the new law, saying it would not damage the city’s autonomy or freedoms.

The proposed legislation was aimed only at a “very narrow category of acts that seriously jeopardise national security”, such as “treason, secession, sedition or subversion”, he said.

Two Sessions 2020: Beijing will not be swayed over Hong Kong national security law
24 May 2020


The law would have “no impact on Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents, or the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors in Hong Kong”, Wang said. “Instead of becoming unnecessarily worried, people should have more confidence in Hong Kong’s future. This will improve Hong Kong’s legal system and bring more stability, a stronger rule of law and a better business environment to Hong Kong.”

Online video footage shows woman trying to remove roadblocks being attacked

During the Sunday clashes, police raised blue flags warning protesters converging outside the Sogo department store to disperse before tear gas was first fired near the junction of Hennessy Road and Percival Street at 1.24pm.

Behind the store, a group of four clad in black was stopped and searched as protesters nearby chanted: “Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times.”

A 15-year-old secondary school student at the protest said social media posts had convinced him to “stay and fight” rather than move to another country over the legislation.

“When I first heard about Beijing’s plans to introduce the national security law, my desire to emigrate grew bigger,” he said. “But then I saw how many people were saying on social media that we need to come out and fight this law, so I decided I needed to stay and fight.”

Riot police in full gear were seen in Wan Chai. Photo: Winson Wong

At 2pm, protesters occupied Gloucester Road, while others holding a banner reading “heaven will destroy the Chinese Communist Party” began marching towards Wan Chai. There were also displays of American flags. Others could be heard cursing at riot police, with some yelling, “Hong Kong independence. The only way.”

Police fired pepper balls at one group on Gloucester Road, where they later said that “rioters climbed over railings and dashed through a flyover and multiple carriageways in the vicinity, causing serious obstruction to road traffic” and “they also rampaged through passing vehicles, posing serious threat to public safety”.

Parliamentarians, policymakers from 23 countries condemn national security law
25 May 2020

More protesters were arrested outside Sogo, and pepper balls were fired elsewhere in Causeway Bay later on.

Police issued a statement at 2pm saying “minimum necessary force, including tear gas” had been used, as protesters had thrown umbrellas and water bottles at them. Four officers from the police media liaison team were also said to be injured after protesters threw bricks and other items at them.

Hong Kong Law Society president Melissa Kaye Pang, meanwhile, said a lawyer had suffered serious injuries after being assaulted by a group of black-clad people in Causeway Bay. Pang, who expressed anger and sadness over the attack, said the lawyer had been sent to hospital.

Videos online showed the lawyer, 40, being kicked and struck with umbrellas. Police said they were searching for 10 male suspects, aged 20 to 40.

Protesters occupying Gloucester Road in Causeway Bay flee as police approach

Video: SCMP/Phila Siu
pic.twitter.com/a7s1fxjJUl
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong)
May 24, 2020

Police later said some protesters had vandalised shops in Causeway Bay, breaking their windows, while others had dug up bricks from the street.

An armoured vehicle and water cannon were deployed along Hennessy Road, with members of the police’s Special Tactical Squad on top of the armoured car pointing their weapons at surrounding crowds.

At Canal Road, the situation grew tense as police raised the blue flag ordering the public to disperse several times, warning off reporters and district councillors with threats to use pepper spray. The water cannon was later fired at protesters as they attempted to place barricades on the street, while more tear gas was used outside the Hysan Place shopping centre.

Protesters attempt to block traffic on Hennessy Road. Photo: Winson Wong

Student activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, who was at the scene early on, said he planned to continue lobbying for support from other countries, even if that meant falling afoul of the looming national security law.

“When Beijing announced the law, it was time to fight back,” Wong said.
One protester who gave his name as Tang said he had observed more suppression by the Hong Kong government in the past two weeks, including 

the taking over of the Legislative Council’s key House Committee 

by pro-establishment lawmakers.

National security law to target ‘small group of people’, Vice-Premier Han Zheng
24 May 2020


“There may be little we can do, but we still have to come out irrespective of the outcome,” he said.

Minutes before the first round of tear gas was fired, People Power activist Tam Tak-chi was arrested while conducting what he called a “health talk” outside Sogo, saying such gatherings were exempt from Covid-19 rules banning groups of more than eight people.

“This is a health talk and is exempt from the rules. We have nurses here,” he said. He went on to accuse local pro-Beijing figures of wanting to make Hong Kong like any other mainland Chinese city.

Police warned Tam he was conducting an unauthorised assembly before arresting him shortly thereafter.

“Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!” he chanted as he was taken away.

Police hoist a blue flag in Causeway Bay indicating demonstrators should disperse. Photo: May Tse

After his arrest, more than 100 people gathered outside the store, chanting, “Hongkongers, revenge!” and “Hong Kong independence is the only way out!”

Earlier in the day, the police force urged citizens on its Facebook page not to take part in any unauthorised assemblies, saying it had mobilised enough officers to take decisive action and make arrests. Groups of riot police in full gear had begun gathering in locations near the department store before noon.

Hong Kong students must learn about national security law, education minister says
23 May 2020


The protest took place two days after a resolution to “prevent, frustrate and punish” threats to national security in Hong Kong was presented to China’s legislature. The draft legislation would outlaw acts of secession, subversion and terrorism.

The resolution is expected to be passed on May 28, authorising the NPC Standing Committee, the country’s top legislative body, to craft a tailor-made national security law and impose it on Hong Kong, bypassing the city’s legislature.

In a statement on Sunday night, the Hong Kong government said it strongly condemned rioters’ illegal acts and supported the resolute enforcement actions of police.

A spokesman said the fundamental objective of the central government’s decision to table the resolution was to safeguard national security and the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and to better protect the legitimate rights and freedoms of all people.

The violent acts showed that advocates of Hong Kong independence and rioters remained rampant, reinforcing the need and urgency of the legislation, he said.

Protesters congregate outside Sogo in Causeway Bay. Photo: Sam Tsang

The new law would require the Hong Kong government to set up new institutions to safeguard sovereignty and allow mainland agencies to operate in the city as needed.

In 2003, the Hong Kong government was forced to shelve a national security bill after an estimated half a million people took to the streets to oppose the legislation, amid fears it would curb their rights and freedoms.

Protesters dismantle railings and use them as roadblocks on Gloucester Road

Video: SCMP/Phila Siu
pic.twitter.com/TgZO7iNxie
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong)
May 24, 2020

Now, Beijing has decided to introduce a national security law via Annex III of the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, meaning the new law will be promulgated without the need for local legislation.

Hong Kong’s opposition politicians have said the plan to introduce the law by fiat is tantamount to adopting a “one country, one system” model in the city, abandoning the “one country, two systems” principle that guarantees it a high degree of autonomy.

Hong Kong riot police make their presence felt in Wan Chai. Photo: Winson Wong

Sunday’s demonstration was also called to protest against a bill that would criminalise abuse of the Chinese national anthem in Hong Kong. The anthem bill, which city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has called a top priority, provides for jail terms of up to three years.

The Legislative Council will debate the bill on Wednesday.

Additional reporting by Sarah Zheng
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This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Tear gas and arrests as thousands take to streets



Phila Siu
Phila Siu, also known as Bobby, has been a journalist since 2009. He has reported on human rights, security, politics, and society in Hong Kong, mainland China and Southeast Asia. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Hong Kong Baptist University and a human rights law master's degree from the University of Hong Kong.


Chris Lau
Chris is a reporter specialising in court and legal affairs in Hong Kong. From criminal justice to constitutional issues, he brings in the latest updates and in-depth analysis on legal issues that affect all aspects of the city. He also covers human rights issues extensively.

SEE
https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/05/thousands-protest-in-hong-kong-over.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/05/photo-essay-hong-kong-free-press-hong.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/05/hong-kong-23-skidoo-explainer-what-does.html

Thousands protest in Hong Kong over China security law proposal

AFP / ISAAC LAWRENCEThousands of pro-democracy protesters gathered in Hong Kong over a controversial security law proposal by the Chinese government

Police fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters who gathered Sunday against a controversial security law proposed by China, in the most intense clashes for months.

As the demonstrators and police were facing off in the semi-autonomous financial hub, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi insisted in Beijing that the proposed law must be imposed "without the slightest delay".

The planned legislation -- expected to ban treason, subversion and sedition -- comes after Hong Kong was shaken last year by months of massive, often-violent protests, and repeated warnings from Beijing that it would not tolerate dissent.

AFP / ISAAC LAWRENCEAs the number of protesters swelled, police fired tear gas and pepper spray to try and disperse the crowd

With campaigners warning the proposal could spell the end of the city's treasured freedoms, thousands gathered and chanted slogans in the busy Causeway Bay and Wan Chai districts, while some masked protesters set up makeshift barricades to stop police vehicles.

"People may be criminalised only for words they say or publish opposing the government," 25-year-old protester Vincent told AFP.

"I think Hong Kongers are very frustrated because we didn't expect this to come so fast and so rough. But... we won't be as naive as to believe that Beijing will simply sit back and do nothing. Things will only get worse here."

AFP / ANTHONY WALLACEA woman reacts after riot police fired tear gas in an effort to disperse protesters, who had ignored earlier warnings against unauthorised assembly and violated coronavirus-linked restrictions on the size of public gatherings

Riot police were deployed after protesters ignored earlier warnings from authorities against unauthorised assembly and violated the city's current coronavirus-linked law banning public gatherings of more than eight people.

As the number of protesters swelled, police fired tear gas and pepper spray to try and disperse the crowd, and later deployed water cannon and armoured vehicles against pockets of protesters.

At least 180 people were arrested, police said, the majority in Causeway Bay and Wan Chai districts. Other protesters were detained at a smaller demonstration in Tsim Sha Tsui.

AFP / John SAEKIHong Kong's pro-democracy protests resume over China's new secuirty law

The Hong Kong government condemned the "extremely violent and illegal acts" of the protesters and said they reinforced "the need and urgency of the legislation on national security".

It also accused protesters of injuring at least four police officers.

The scenes on Sunday were the most intense in months.

The Hong Kong pro-democracy movement had fizzled at the beginning of 2020 as arrests mounted and, later, large gatherings were banned to stop the coronavirus.

More than 8,300 people have been arrested since the protests erupted last year. Around 200 were detained during small rallies at malls on Mother's Day earlier this month.

AFP / ISAAC LAWRENCECampaigners in Hong Kong say the city's unique freedoms are being chipped away as Beijing tightens control over the city -- here, a pro-democracy protester is arrested

Hong Kong residents enjoy rights -- including freedom of speech -- unseen on the Chinese mainland, as well as its own legal system and trade status.

Fears had been growing for years that Beijing was chipping away at those freedoms and tightening its control on the city, and campaigners have described the new proposal as the most brazen move yet.

- 'I'm very scared' -

AFP / ISAAC LAWRENCEA woman sweeps glass after a window of a clothing store was smashed in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong during protests against China's proposed new security legislation

Of particular concern is a provision allowing Chinese security agents to operate in Hong Kong, and that they could launch a crackdown against those dissenting the mainland's communist rulers.

"I'm very scared, but I still have to come out," said protester Christy Chan, 23.

"Aside from being peaceful, rational and non-violent, I don't see many ways to send out our messages."

Despite the alarm in Hong Kong and in some Western capitals, Chinese and city officials have insisted the proposed law is needed to prevent unrest and protect national security.

A top pro-Beijing official claimed Saturday that mainland Chinese law enforcement would not operate in the city without "approval" from local authorities.

But there is deep mistrust of China's opaque legal system in Hong Kong and of how Beijing might use the proposed regulations in the city.

The massive protests last year were sparked by a now-scrapped bill that would have allowed extraditions to the mainland, and there are fears the new motion would be even more wide-ranging.

China's legislature is expected to rubber-stamp the draft resolution on Thursday, before the details are fleshed out at another meeting at a later date.

Officials have said the law would then be implemented locally.



Hong Kong activists plan new protests over proposed security law

AFP/File / ISAAC LAWRENCE

Hong Kong was shaken by massive pro-democracy protests last year, and there are fears of more unrest

Hong Kong's pro-democracy campaigners called for fresh protests on Sunday, their first test after China sparked outrage with a proposed new security law that many fear will spell the end of the city's treasured freedoms.

The proposed legislation is expected to ban treason, subversion and sedition, and follows repeated warnings from Beijing that it will no longer tolerate dissent in Hong Kong, which was shaken by months of massive, sometimes violent anti-government protests last year.

Through messaging apps and social media, activists asked pro-democracy supporters to gather Sunday afternoon in one of Hong Kong's busiest shopping districts, seeking to revive their movement which previously fizzled as arrests mounted and, later, as large gatherings were banned to stop the coronavirus.

"We are back! See you on the streets on May 24!" read what appeared to be fresh graffiti near a subway station in the Kowloon Tong district on Saturday, as concerns mounted of more unrest and instability in Hong Kong.

More than 8,300 people have been arrested since the protests erupted last year. Around 200 were detained during small rallies at malls on Mother's Day earlier this month.

The planned Sunday protests do not have official permission, and Hong Kong's police force warned it would take action against any unauthorised assembly, and also cited current coronavirus-linked rules against public gatherings larger than eight people.

"The police will deploy adequate manpower in relevant locations tomorrow and take resolute law enforcement action and make arrests as appropriate," it said in a statement on Saturday.

With the fear of more arrests and the virus-linked ban on gatherings, it was unclear how many would participate or if the protests would be held at multiple locations.

Hong Kong residents enjoy rights -- including freedom of speech -- unseen on the mainland as part of the agreement that saw the British colony handed back to China in 1997, and the city has its own legal system and trade status.

Fears had been growing for years that Beijing was chipping away at those freedoms and tightening its control on the city, and campaigners have described the new proposal as the most brazen move yet.

Of particular concern is a provision allowing Chinese security agents to operate in Hong Kong, and that they could launch a crackdown against those dissenting against the mainland's Communist rulers.

- 'Disastrous proposal' -

A top pro-Beijing official, however, claimed on Saturday that mainland law enforcement would not operate in Hong Kong without "approval" from local authorities.

"I'm not worried about anybody being arrested by a police officer from the mainland and then taken back to China for investigation or punishment," Maria Tam, a Hong Kong law advisor to the Chinese parliament, told AFP.

"It is not, not, not going to happen."

Hong Kong's unpopular pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam has defended the new proposal, saying it was necessary to protect national security and punish "violent political elements".

But there is deep mistrust of China's opaque legal system in Hong Kong and of how Beijing might use such regulations in the city -- the massive protests last year were sparked by a now-scrapped bill that would have allowed extraditions to the mainland.

The new proposal could prove even more wide-ranging than that plan, and several Western governments have voiced alarm.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged China to reconsider the "disastrous proposal", saying it would "be a death knell for the high degree of autonomy Beijing promised for Hong Kong".

China's legislature is expected to rubber-stamp the draft resolution on Thursday, the last day of the annual parliamentary gathering, before the details are fleshed out at another meeting at a later date.

Officials have said the law would then be implemented locally.

SEE 

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/05/tear-gas-fired-arrests-made-as.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/05/photo-essay-hong-kong-free-press-hong.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/05/hong-kong-23-skidoo-explainer-what-does.html