By Tenzin Tsetan
DHARAMSHALA, November 14, 2016: Thousands of protesters rallied in Hong Kong supporting China’s intervention and ruling on effective disqualifications of the pro independence lawmakers from taking office.
The pro Beijing campaign comes three days after Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech at Beijing Hall of the People to crush these separatist forces in the country. “All activities that intend to divide the country will certainly be firmly opposed by all Chinese people.” “We will never allow any organization, any party to split off any tract of territory from China anytime, or in any way,” Xi said.
The protesters of the Sunday rally gathered near the Legco building, supporting Beijing’s interference regarding the controversial oath row, expressing opposition to the two elect pro independence lawmakers retaking their oaths.
The demonstrators carrying Chinese national flags chanted “oppose Hong Kong independence; Beijing’s ruling.”
The organizer of the rally known as “Anti independence, Support Basic Law interpretation Alliance” have brought together 53 pro-Beijing groups in the city for the event. Though claims of number of protesters gathered at the protest varies from the police estimation of 28,500 to more than 40,000 according to the organizers.
Starry Lee, chairwoman of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), told the Hong Kong Economic Journal, “the Sunday rally was aimed at sending a “No” message to those who push for Hong Kong independence.” A lawmaker-elect’s oath-taking can never be treated as a trifling matter, she added.
Meanwhile there have been media reports suggesting that many rally participants did not really know exactly what the real purpose of the gathering was, and that some may have been “recruited”. Also some reports of payments of few hundred or more money to the participants as reward for just attending the rally have been cited as well.
