Visions of AsiaSeeing things differently.
The journal / Visions of Asia
After passing the National Security Law, on July 1st, China set out to radically transform the political landscape of Hong Kong. Although many hailed the law as the death knell for Hong Kong, it appears today that it was only the prelude and the mechanism by which to inflict “death by a thousand cuts” for […]
On 24 May 2020, the day started with a failed attempt to mobilize protesters against the national anthem bill. This attempt was foiled by a huge police deployment in Causeway Bay and Admiralty and mass arrests. Despite this, protesters managed nevertheless to create a fiery night in Mongkok. Difficult mobilization New police tactics at work […]
The enactment of a national security law directly by China has placed Hong Kong in the eye of the tiger. Namely, Beijing has now direct control over freedom of expression and activities in what was once an autonomous city. As a direct consequence of this takeover by China, the July 1st protests (which generally was […]
Hong Kong had a tradition of commemorating the Tienanmen massacre every year on 4th June. This year, the Hong Kong government refused a letter of no objection to hold the protest in Victoria Park. Despite this, hundreds of protesters flooded the park, entering to hold their traditional vigil, hence keeping a flickering light alive for […]
When China announced its intention of bypassing the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (its mini-parliament) to impose a national security law, everybody understood HK was being in the line of fire. It so happened, that it was not only the city that was in the line of fire over the week-end, but also some of […]
After a long lull for cause of coronavirus fears, last week-end the Hong Kong protests resumed, albeit in a very subdued form. Triggered by a coup de force in the Legco on Friday, protesters responded somewhat timidly to the call to action. While protesters played rather the role of the small nuisance in Mongkok, the […]
Since the beginning of 2020, the Hong Kong protests have focused on the “8 31 attacks” and the culture of outrage that is becoming a focal point of protesters. It did not help that police always reacts with overwhelming force and irritation to these “commemorations”. What are the “8 31 attacks”? On August 31, 2019, […]
Since the start of the protests in Hong Kong, policemen have been seen on several occasions taking out their guns and in at least two occasions, shooting protesters. The actions which lead to impressive footage or action scenes must not lead us to forget that “context is king” when guns come out in Hong Kong. […]
The Wuhan Coronavirus epidemic in Hong Kong has quickly pushed the organized and indifferent hongkongese society to its brinks. As the extreme contagiousness of the disease caused fear of an extension to Hong Kong, people started panicking. Within a few days, not a single person took the MTR or walked on the street without a […]
In the last couple of months before December, riot police in malls became so frequent, that you would be forgiven for thinking about them with the term “Mall Cops”. But when the new mall cops peppered the Festival Walk mall, with a generous dose of pepper spray and pepper balls, they set in motion a […]