Return to the beating heart of Tokyo, three years after
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 … Continue readingContext 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 … Continue readingCoronavirus: the HK panic
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 … Continue readingWhen the Mall Cops pepper a Festival Walk
It was a couple of weeks ago that we found ourselves in one of the most intense fights of the time between protesters and police in Hong Kong (where even Wanchai looked tame). For six to seven hours, I was literally in the war zone, … Continue readingHong Kong Protests: in the war zone
Since about August 2019, the Hong Kong Protests have incorporated targeted vandalism as part of their modus operandi, as well as targeted violence towards police foces. Often directed towards the MTR, the local metro, or against mainland-related companies, the issue of “redecoration” as protesters rebaptized … Continue readingHong Kong Protests : the issue of “redecorations”
The protests on 28 September 2019 promised to be a tough confrontation between police and protesters. Both parties knew it would be a “general rehearsal” for what would take place on October 1st, 2019, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of … Continue readingRunning battles in Hong Kong
Things have been a bit busy for me, as I posted an article for insider on the protests. But since my last post, things have only worsened in Hong Kong. On Friday, 4 October, the HK government decided to invoke the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, a … Continue readingDays of Rage in Hong Kong
Shatin has been a flashpoint several times already, especially after police carried out a brutal clearance in July. Once again, a protest in the New Town Plaza mall of Shatin became a ritual celebration, something which made me think of a “Rite of Autumn”. The … Continue readingShatin: the Rite of Autumn
Friday 13 September, on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the peaceful and cheerful celebrations on several mountains of Hong Kong gave a glimmer of hope and peace. Within the same week-end, however, we moved from mid-autumn lanterns to days of fire in Hong Kong. … Continue readingDays of fire in Hong Kong
Mid-Autumn festival is linked to the harvest and thus an important traditional occurrence in Hong Kong and also in China. In full Black Bauhinia Revolution, it made sense that the protesters would try to celebrate mid-Autumn festival in a special manner. Lights on the mountains … Continue readingThe Hong Kong Way on Mid-Autumn Festival