As Hong Kong welcomes Xi Jinping during his first visit as Chinese president, HKFP presents a guide to the events marking 20 years since the Handover.
Demonstrations:
1989 Tiananmen Massacre and Liu Xiaobo rally
A protest march to demand the immediate release of Chinese activists Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia, and justice for victims of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, will be held on Friday.
Organisers are urging Beijing to stop harassing, monitoring and punishing Chinese human rights advocates, human rights lawyers and political prisoners.
- Date: Friday, June 30.
- Time: 5:30pm.
- Venue: Hong Kong Family Planning Association, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai.
Liu Xiaobo and Leung Chun-ying protest
The Civil Human Rights Front will also host an assembly calling on the release Liu and the investigation of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying over a controversial HK$50 million payment he received from Australian firm UGL.
- Date: Friday, June 30.
- Time: 7:30pm.
- Venue: Telecom House, 3 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai.
‘Fall of Hong Kong’ protest
Political party People’s Power and several civil society groups will be mourning the “fall of Hong Kong.” They will also protest against government spending on infrastructure projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
- Date: Friday, June 30.
- Time: 7:30pm.
- Location: Great George Street, Causeway Bay.
Pro-independence rally
The pro-independence Hong Kong National Party will host a rally on Friday. They claim that this week is not a time to mark a return to China, but an anniversary to mark “the fall of Hong Kong into Chinese hands” as it became another colony.
“In just 20 years, the Royal Hong Kong Police became Civil Servant Triads. In just 20 years, the Rule of Law became the Rule of Cronies. In just 20 years, the Freemen of Hong Kong became the Slaves of China,” it said.
【廿年中國殖民…
Posted by 香港民族黨 Hong Kong National Party on Monday, 26 June 2017
“Let the Chinese colonial immigrants know they are not welcome – let the world know Hong Kong is being colonised and cleansed by China.”
- Date: Friday, June 30.
- Time: 8.30pm – 11pm.
- Venue: Near the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry pier clock tower.
Goodbye CY ‘party’
There will be a “Leaving Drinks for 689” party on Friday – “689” being the nickname of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. Leung is set to leave office on July 1.
It was organised by the “Organised Association of Patriotic Citizens Organised to Serve CY Leung.”
“CY Leung’s policies on housing, poverty, elderly care, marriage equality and environmental protection achieved so much during his 5 years in office. Let’s give him a nice goodbye!” the organisers said on its Facebook event page.
- Date: June 30.
- Time: 11pm.
- Venue: Tamar Park, Admiralty.
Bauhinia Square rally
The League of Social Democrats have called for a protest during the flag raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai on July 1
It was called after pro-democracy activists arrested on Wednesday for occupying the Golden Bauhinia statue were held by police for more than 24 hours. Their lawyers applied for a habeas corpus order shortly before the activists were released on bail. However, the League has not cancelled the protest.
- Date: Saturday, July 1.
- Time: 7am.
- Venue: Family Planning Association clinic, near Wan Chai MTR exit B2.
Sing for democracy event
“President Xi, Do You Hear The People Sing?” – A musical protest event organised by pro-democracy business figure Ed Chin will be held ahead of Saturday’s pro-democracy rally.
- Date: Saturday, July 1.
- Tim: 1pm.
- Venue: In front of Central Library (opposite Victoria Park).
Pro-independence rally
Organisers said they will display pro-independence flags in defiance of China.
- Date: Saturday, July 1.
- Time: 2:30pm.
- Venue: Canal Road, Causeway Bay.
Reunification rally
The Hong Kong-UK Reunification Campaign will host a rally celebrating “the 199th anniversary of the British extension to the New Territories” on July 1, 1898.
“Thanks to British possession, Hong Kong developed from a small fishing village to a prosperous city perfectly blending western and eastern culture. In the late 19th century, Hong Kong was the second busiest port in the British Empire,” the group said in a statement. “The New Territories, by then, became a part of the civilised Empire: Improved living conditions, initially experiencing the atmosphere of freedom, and it got rid of disturbances from neighbouring countries.”
They will also join the annual July 1 march later on that day after the event and move forward to the British Consulate General Hong Kong to “protest against the Chinese outrageously breached the Sino-British Joint Declaration” and urge the UK to resume British sovereignty over Hong Kong.
- Date: Saturday, July 1.
- Time: 1pm.
- Venue: Queen Victoria Statue, Victoria Park, Causeway Bay.
The following is our July 1st Rally Statement this year. Please forward the message to your friends around the…
Posted by 民間人權陣線 Civil Human Rights Front on Tuesday, 20 June 2017
Annual July 1 march
The Civil Human Rights Front will host the annual pro-democracy march on Saturday. The government has granted permission to pro-Beijing groups to use the football pitches at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay – therefore, the starting point this year will be the lawn area of the park.
The theme will be “One Country, Two Systems: a Lie for 20 years; Retake Hong Kong for a Democratic Government.”
“Our democratic progress and the associated electoral reform has been deferred time and again, year after year, that the Basic Law has become a scrap of paper to be twisted and torn at the will of our political leaders, especially under the administration of CY Leung,” the Front said in a statement. “The so-called ‘One country, two systems’ has become an international mockery.”
“Hong Kong has been lied to for 20 years. Let’s retake Hong Kong for a real and fully-fledged democracy.”
- Date: Saturday, July 1.
- Time: 3pm.
- Venue: Victoria Park lawn, Causeway Bay.
Other events related to the Handover:
Film showing
There will be two screenings of the film The Final Night of the Royal Hong Kong Police, a film released in 2002 but which had limited showings at cinemas until its rediscovery in recent years.
- Date: Thursday, June 29.
- Time: 7pm.
- Venue: The Venue, 5 Ki Lung Street, Sham Shui Po.
and
- Date: Thursday, June 30.
- Time: 7pm.
- Venue: Yue Wan Community Hall, Chai Wan.
Open doors at the FCC
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club will open its doors to show a video montage of the 1997 Handover Day. There will be a wall exhibition displaying photos from 1997, and a ceremonial piper to mark the 20 year anniversary.
- Date: Friday, June 30.
- Time: 6:30pm.
- Venue: Foreign Correspondents’ Club, North Block, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central.
Student forums:
Student unions at 13 universities and tertiary education institutions have said they will be not attend the July 1 march. They will instead host a forum on Saturday evening.
“In fact, to blindly put faith in the Basic Law and One Country, Two Systems is not different from deceiving oneself and wasting one’s own precious time to emancipate ourselves from re-colonisation,” they said in a statement.
“As 2047 is approaching, we are left with thirty years, and we have no time to lose. To stoutly resist the Chinese regime, we must not restrain our imagination towards our future within the framework of One Country, Two Systems. Together we shall struggle against the enemy and restore the glory of our Hong Kong.”
No details on the time and venues have yet been announced.
Celebrations:
Exhibition
The pro-Beijing Hong Kong Celebration Association will host a Chinese technology exhibition at Victoria Park to showcase items such as rockets.
- Date: Friday, June 29 until Sunday, July 2.
- Venue: Victoria Park football pitch, Causeway Bay
Banquet
As Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Hong Kong, there will be a banquet in his honour. Whilst pro-Beijing camp lawmakers were invited, only some of the pro-democracy camp lawmakers received invitations.
- Date: Friday, June 30.
- Time: 6pm.
- Venue: Grand ballroom, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, Wan Chai.
Variety show
There will be a “Grand Variety Show in Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Return to the Motherland” hosted by the government, which will be live broadcast on television.
- Date: Friday, June 30.
- Time: 8pm.
- Venue: Hall 5, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.
Fireworks
On July 1, there will be the annual fireworks show at Victoria Harbour.
- Date: Saturday, July 1.
- Time: 8pm.
- Venue: Victoria Harbour.
For more celebration events, see the government’s official website.
