Hong Kong: China arrests the British consulate | policy

Update from August 21st to 16:07: An employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong was arrested, according to Chinese sources, in Shenzhen, in the south-east of the country. The man was taken by police for 15 days in "administrative detention" because he violated public safety laws, said a spokesman for the Beijing Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. It was not "a diplomatic issue".

Recently, it was reported that China has significantly tightened controls on the Hong Kong border. Officials have repeatedly searched for smartphones from travelers. Both images must be displayed and messages read. The policemen had questioned travelers specifically about the protests, such as the South China Morning Post reported.

Beijing has repeatedly warned Britain and other countries from interfering in the conflict.

After Trump's warning, China launches an online campaign and arrests business travelers from Hong Kong

Update from August 20 to 12:57: Hong Kong's prime minister Carrie Lam, who is believed to be loyal to China, appears to be heading for mass protests. The government wants to talk to citizens, listen to what people have to say. For this reason, Lam has announced a "platform for dialogue". From China, instead, it is a provocation: it is said that an employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong was arrested in China.

Simon Cheng Man Kit has disappeared from a business trip in China, according to local media. He had attended a business meeting in Shenzhen, southeastern China. "We are concerned about reports that a member of our team was arrested on his return from Shenzen in Hong Kong," the British Foreign Ministry said in London on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old passed away on August 8th at the border on his way back to Hong Kong, like the British newspaper The Guardian reported. "I'm crossing the border now … pray for me", is said to have recently written to his girlfriend. Only a few days earlier, US President Donald Trump had spoken of the mass protests in Hong Kong – and had warned against violence against citizens and had threatened China with drastic consequences.

Doubt Nazi confrontation in the Chinese state TV and a huge online campaign with 200,000 accounts?

Update 10:30 pm: New accusations against China in the conflict in Hong Kong: the short messaging service Twitter has turned out to be a large-scale campaign from China, which should discredit the protests in Hong Kong. The short messaging service has created 936 accounts, on which "political disputes in Hong Kong" should be planted. In addition, a network of around 200,000 accounts was blocked before it could develop meaningful activities, Twitter announced Tuesday.

Facebook has removed five accounts, seven pages and three groups with a similar justification. At least one of the pages followed about 15,500 Facebook profiles. Both services have shown examples of contributions in which Hong Kong protesters have been described as violent, for example.

Twitter has taken another step forward and will no longer accept ads from state media. With Twitter advertising products you can, for example, contribute to the news feed of users who do not follow one. Taxpayer-funded media such as independent public broadcasters are exempt from the ban, as Twitter pointed out in a blog post.

Hong Kong: giants protest in China's special administrative region – China contrasts with "Poem"

Hong Kong – For eleven weeks, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Hong Kong to protest against a planned law that allows extradition to China. State power has repeatedly reacted with tear gas and rubber bullets. After the first weekend without these drastic measures, the observers now speak of a relaxation of the situation, but not of an end to the protests.

Despite the temporary calm, US President Donald Trump issued a drastic warning against further police brutality in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the democratic movement is planning further demonstrations.

The Chinese government has repeatedly threatened protesters in Hong Kong. Eventually, the population was invoked on a modified poem to oppose the protesters, who were indirectly confronted with the Nazis at the time of the Holocaust.

China: "Umbrella Revolt" in Hong Kong is compared to the National Socialists

It is the poetry of the German shepherd Martin Niemöller, which was held from 1938 to 1945 in the concentration camps of Sachsenhausen and Dachau. The basic elements of the internationally known work must be recognized in the appeal to the people of Hong Kong. The poem was published on Twitter by the largest Chinese television channel CCTV (China Central Television). Niemöller's warning poem was a call to the Germans:

"When the Nazis went to take the Communists, I remained silent, because I was not a communist.
When they imprisoned the Social Democrats, I remained silent, because I was not a social democrat.
When they got the trade unionists, I kept silent, I wasn't a trade unionist.
When they brought me in, no one was left to protest. "

Now the people of Hong Kong must defend themselves from the protests of the democratic movement. The question above is: "Hong Kong, will you shut up?" This refers to the fact that protesters were allowed to attack government buildings and were also silent but for generosity and understanding for young people. The protesters had also blocked roads, motorists and passengers and journalists attacked, continuing to remain silent, as they were not involved. "And when they came and attacked me, there was no one left who could speak for me and protect me", the appeal ends.

The appeal to citizens is an unusual measure with linguistic means. Despite the massive warnings of violence and reprisals, as well as the use of rubber bullets and tear gas in the previous weeks, about 1.7 million people took to the streets last weekend in Hong Kong. The massive civil protest is putting pressure on the Hong Kong government. At the same time, the Chinese government in Beijing calls for greater influence on the Special Administrative Region. If all the participants remain in their positions, the situation is probably dedicated to an escalation. The dubious interpretation of Niemöller's poetry in CCTV could contribute to this.

Hong Kong protests: the history of the special administrative region

Hong Kong has seven million inhabitants. The city is organized as a special administrative region. The city was a British colony from 1843 to 1 July 1997. The return to China took place at the end of the 1990s, provided that Hong Kong continued to maintain a democratic and market-based system. Under the motto "one country, two systems", an authoritarian-socialist system continues to prevail in the rest of the People's Republic of China.

Already in the summer of 2014 there were protests in Hong Kong. At that time, a committee controlled by China was to be used to select candidates for the election of the head of government in Hong Kong. Only then should citizens have their say. Thousands of Hong Kong residents have used umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun, rain and police pepper sprays. Therefore, the movement was also called "Umbrella Revolt" – the name also applies to the current protests of the democratic movement.

Hong Kong protests: over one million people on the street

On June 9, 2019, the first demonstration against the extradition law currently in force had arrived. More than a million people have already taken part. So far Hong Kong has an independent judicial system. With the new law, Hong Kong citizens could face the cause in the People's Republic of China. Government critics see the law as an attempt to undermine Hong Kong's special status.

Initially, the demonstrations were peaceful. In July, protesters were attacked by criminals. In police use against protesters, it is regularly the use of batons, rubber bullets and tear gas.

"Umbrella Revolt" in Hong Kong: that's what the protesters want

What do the protesters ask? Key requests include a permanent withdrawal of the extradition law as well as an independent investigation into police tactics and an amnesty for arrested protesters. Moreover, the movement is fighting for full democracy in the city and the resignation of the Prime Minister of Hong Kong Lam.

Prime Minister Lam of Hong Kong has ordered the suspension of the extradition law after the protests. At the same time, he defended police actions against protesters.

The Chinese media were only reported when there were violent clashes during the demonstrations. The middle class media confront the protesters of the "umbrella revolt" with the terrorists. The Beijing government has not officially intervened, but criticizes the protests. Moreover, China has collected hundreds of special forces near its border with Hong Kong and is holding maneuvers.

Demonstrations in Hong Kong: Beijing wants to replace the financial metropolis

Beijing has also published plans that the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen should soon replace neighboring Hong Kong as an international financial center. State media reported Monday in a Chinese government policy document that Beijing wants to make Shenzhen a "better place" than Hong Kong. As a result, a narrower network is provided in Shenzhen with the special administrative areas of Hong Kong and Macao.

nai / dpa / AFP