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A YEAR OF PROTESTS

How a Hong Kong protest evolved into an anti-government movement

By Published June 8, 2020

It started with a mass protest on June 9, 2019 to demand the withdrawal of the government’s extradition bill which would have allowed the transfer of fugitives to mainland China, Macau and Taiwan. The bill was eventually withdrawn, but the protests have not died down.

The city has been witness to violent clashes between radical protesters and police, with no political solution in sight.

Clashes break out between protesting students hurling petrol bombs and riot police using tear gas.

The coronavirus outbreak in January 2020 brought the protests to a temporary halt, but now that the threat in the city appears to have slowed, anti-government activists are back with a vengeance.

Extradition treaties

Hong Kong has mutual extradition agreements with 20 jurisdictions for certain crimes. Aside from extraditing wanted individuals, the city also provides criminal legal assistance to 32 countries. However, there is no such treaty with mainland China, Macau and Taiwan.

Murder in Taiwan

How a killing in Taiwan triggered a crisis when Hong Kong authorities tried to plug a legal loophole to extradite the confessed murderer, a Hongkonger, to the self-ruled island:

Murder suspect Chan Tong-kai is escorted from the Pik Uk Correctional Institution.

February 17, 2018 Chan Tong-kai, 19, confesses he has murdered his girlfriend, also from Hong Kong, while in Taipei. He flees Taiwan to hide in Hong Kong, but cannot be sent back in the absence of an extradition deal.

March 31 First protest against Hong Kong’s extradition bill
April 28 Second protest against the bill

February 13, 2019 The Security Bureau proposes amending existing laws to allow for the extradition of criminal suspects from Hong Kong to mainland China, Macau and Taiwan.

JUN 2020 MAY 2020 APR 2020 MAR 2020 FEB 2020 JAN 2020 DEC 2019 NOV 2019 OCT 2019 SEP 2019 AUG 2019 JUL 2019 JUN 2019
JUN 2020 MAY 2020 APR 2020 MAR 2020 FEB 2020 JAN 2020 DEC 2019 NOV 2019 OCT 2019 SEP 2019 AUG 2019 JUL 2019 JUN 2019
Riot police fire tear gas Riot police fire tear gas
Riot police fire tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters outside Chinese University.

Ammunition used during the protests

Number of rounds and types of ammunition fired by police.

Public trust in government

Polls indicate the Hong Kong government has been losing hearts and minds over its handling of the extradition bill and the protests. Public trust in the government has fallen to a record low this year, according to surveys conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute.

People's trust in the Hong Kong government

Survey result by half-yearly average (percentage of net value*)

Hongkongers’ trust in the Beijing government

Survey result by half-yearly average (percentage of net value*)

*Net value = % of people trusting the government - % distrusting

human chain
human chain
Protesters hang a banner calling for universal suffrage and form a human chain on Lion Rock.

Graphic and content editor Darren Long.
Additional research and work by Jeffie Lam and Holly Chik.

Photos by Felix Wong, Winson Wong and Martin Chan

Sources: Hong Kong Security Bureau, Hong Kong Police Force, Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute

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