Eye-witness report from Hong Kong: the universities as battlegrounds

The playwright and author Pat To Yan witnessed the battles between the opposition and the police close up. Here he describes his impressions. the scene of the

Eye-witness report from Hong Kong: the universities as battlegrounds

The playwright and author Pat To Yan witnessed the battles between the opposition and the police close up. Here he describes his impressions.

the scene of the confrontation: the Hong Kong Polytechnic University photo: Anthony Wallace/afp

Who plans to work in Hong Kong, to visit spontaneously, a theatre or a concert, don't know just whether he makes it in time for the start of the performance. Virtually all of the rooms are owned by the government. If the subway operator, MTR, to cease operating prematurely – what happens at the moment of the Often – will be automatically canceled all cultural events.

It is strange, but even if there are other means of transport, according to a timetable, keep all the operators in Hong Kong are always at the Service of the MTR. Little surprise that the government of Hong Kong, the largest shareholder of the transport companies. That government that wants to introduce a curfew, but so far just not decided to announce this.

artist:know, therefore, whether everything goes as planned. Even in the still of intense rehearsals, prior to premieres you can't, therefore, close our eyes to what is happening outside the window. In every break, all of the access immediately to the Smartphone and check the latest developments.

If a General strike is proclaimed to be involved with the artists at the Protest, in whatever Form. His Protest to the police, one of them pointed out recently on Twitter, in the diction of Shakespeare, until he was arrested.

The everyday is drawn to life by the protests greatly affected. In many neighborhoods, tear gas is sprayed, rubber bullets fired. There are now puzzling cases of suicide associated with the Pasgol protest movement in connection. The police had only to inform, naked corpses had been found.

The victims are likely to be overthrown by high-rise buildings in depth. Strangely, the misfortune to make traces of blood were found anywhere. All the dead were young. Hong Kong is like these days, a living morgue.

Since 2014, Hong Kong has an Open-Air gallery, which wanders through the city: Lennon Wall. There Post-it-note glued, citizens Express their anger, and their Wishes to the government of expression. This year, the walls in all districts of the city are created. The Lennon Wall's useful information to be found. Most important of all, the human effect is: The Lennon Wall not show you that you are alone.

finally, the police focused on the four occupied universities to take. The Chinese University (CUHK) was five days in a state of siege. There, it looked like a battlefield.

The Campus is located on a hill, far away from the city center, there are only three outputs, and it was feared that the integrity of the Student:was in the battles at serious risk. Citizens:the inside drove their cars to the Campus of the CUHK in order to block the surrounding streets and to enable the Student:the interior of the escape. Upon my Arrival on the Campus of the CUHK, I met numerous students:citizens:inside, the mood was tense, but not resigned. They had a fear of death, but were glad to have a guardian angel on your side.

Since Sunday, the police besieged the as the only still occupied the Campus of the Polytechnic University. There has dug an unknown number of activist:the inside. You can no longer be supplied from the outside. On multiple attempts, to leave the premises, were arrested on Monday dozens of firmly, while others were pushed back with tear gas and kettled.

Even the government is hesitant in the age of Internet and cell phone Cams seem to have a counter-insurgency scenario is the same as that of the square of heavenly peace in Beijing in 1989. Slowly but the Protest in Hong Kong is mitigated in agony when the cameras are turned off.

translated from the English by Julian Weber

Date Of Update: 18 November 2019, 17:00
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