Hong Kong is undergoing its biggest crisis since the handover to China in 1997.
In 1984, China’s late leader Deng Xiaoping promised that Hong Kong could retain its capitalist way of life and enjoy a high degree of autonomy until 2047. But Beijing has been accused in recent years of increasingly interfering in the former British colony’s affairs.
The protests which started in June 2019 to oppose an extradition bill have turned violent with no signs of ending anytime soon. The bill was worrisome to many because it would place Hong Kongers in danger of being sent to China to be tried in the Communist Party-controlled courts. Even though the Hong Kong government announced a formal withdrawal of the bill in late October, the protests continued.
Escalating
The time map below displays protest activities over time during the anti-extradition bill movement, extracting data from press releases by the Hong Kong Police Force.
Despite the data source being police records, demonstrations clearly took place more frequently and more violent acts were committed in the latter months of the movement. Protests also expanded to more parts of the city, rather than concentrating in Admiralty where the government headquarters is located.
Please note that the police did not always declare the usage of tear gas during their operations.
Police Rating Plummets
Hong Kong’s police force, once said to be the best in Asia, has faced fierce criticism for their handling of the protests.
Since May, the Ming Pao Newspaper has commissioned the Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct five polls. Respondents were asked to rate their extent of trust in the police using a scale of zero to 10, which respectively indicates no trust and full trust. The results showed the percentage of respondents who gave the answer of “no trust” rose from 6.5 percent in early June just before the movement started to 51.5 percent in mid-October.
Meanwhile, demonstrators have demanded an investigation into police brutality by an independent commission and amnesty for arrested protesters.
The protests started in June and escalated in mid-July, when a group of suspected triad gang members attacked protesters and other citizens in Yuen Long while the police turned a blind eye to it.
Police fired tear gas against protesters on at least 19 occasions during the period.
Poll results showed that more than 40% of respondents had no trust in Hong Kong police by mid-August.
On August 31, protests were held all over Hong Kong to mark the 5th anniversary of the day when the Chinese central government dashed the city’s hope for universal suffrage. This was followed by a large-scale strike participated by students and workers on the first day of school in September.
Police fired tear gas against protesters on at least six occasions during the period.
Police were accused of excessive violence during their clashes with protesters and nearly 50% of people polled said they had no trust in Hong Kong police by mid-September.
A series of violent conflicts between the police and protesters took place on the week of China’s National Day on October 1. An 18-year-old student was shot by the police.
Police fired tear gas against protesters on at least 19 occasions during the period.
A poll in mid-October showed more than half of respondents had no confidence in the police.
The extradition bill was formally withdrawn on October 23, but protests continued. Another big strike took place on November 11, followed by police siege of two university campuses occupied by protesters which lasted for most of the rest of the month.
Police fired tear gas against protesters on at least 24 occasions during the period.
Expanded Efforts
The data also showed that people are devoting more weekday time to protests since October.
November witnessed two prolonged protests when protesters occupied the campuses of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which lasted four days and 16 days respectively.