I Still Remember -- the June 9th extradition bill protest edition

Stand News photo of a portion of the

June 9th, 2019, anti-extradition bill march

 

South China Morning Post front page

for June 10th, 2019
 

Two years ago today, a whole lot of people -- some 1.03 million, according to the march organizers -- turned out to (peacefully) protest against a controversial, and obviously unpopular, extradition bill that was seen as clearly intended to erode Hong Kong's legal system.  The June 9th, 2019, protest march was not the first one against the extradition bill but it dwarfed the two others that had taken place earlier -- even though the previous protest march on April 28th had surprised many people (including me) with its large size too. 

 

Two years on from June 9th, 2019, what strikes me more than the event's mega scale was that there still had been so much hope then that people power and peaceful protest could make the authorities see the light.  Checking Tweets from Hong Kongers today, I realize I am by no means alone in remembering this key feeling from that day.    

 

For the record: the Hong Kong government did finally withdraw the extradition bill four months later, on October 23rd, 2019.  If only it had done so on June 9th of that year or even June 10th or June 11th.  But it didn't and 6.12 happened, and then 7.1 (documented in Taking Back the Legislature), 7.14, 7.21, 8.31 and so much more... 

 

An expatriate resident I spoke to recently blamed the extradition bill protest(or)s for what Hong Kong has become: a de facto police state that is more closely yoked to Beijing now thanks to the introduction of China's security law for Hong Kong.  What he failed to see was that it has long been the Chinese Communist regime's plan to Mainlandize Hong Kong and that pro-democracy protestors were reacting to this rather than responsible for it -- and I do think it's telling that he looked at me pretty blankly when I brought up such issues as the abduction of the booksellers (back in 2015) and China's reneging on its promise to give Hong Kong universal suffrage (back in 2014). 

      

It actually was at Occupy Admiralty during the Umbrella Movement that I saw a sign whose message I won't forget.  Basically, it's this: Whatever happens, do not forget why we started. Remember, remember, remember, and keep your eyes on the prize, people.  One day, as many an extradition bill protestor is wont to say, we'll meet again under the pot.