Over a dozen police officers were deployed near Hong Kong’s government headquarters on the 11th anniversary of the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement protests on Sunday.
A 79-day street occupation protest, which began in late September 2014, saw mostly young activists camping on main thoroughfares across the city, demanding universal suffrage.
Activist Lui Yuk-lin sat and held vigil for a short time on Sunday, whilst Italian Catholic priest Franco Mella was also seen around the Harcourt Road area of Admiralty. He displayed battery-powered lights at the site to mark over a decade since officers fired tear gas at demonstrators.
Mella told HKFP on Monday that he attended because he had held a vigil and said prayers at the site every year, though paused during the Covid-19 pandemic. “It is important to remember because it was a [time] – a series of sit-ins – for Hong Kong people to express themselves and just ask for more democracy, freedom and these core values,” he said.
The priest added that police told him to stop and leave, which he did.
HKFP’s photojournalist noted that, in all, around four people showed up to commemorate the moment tear gas was first fired at 5:58pm on September 28, 2014. Over a dozen uniformed and plainclothes police officers were deployed.
The HKFP photojournalist was searched and ordered to show ID by the police on the scene.
See also: HKFP Lens: Scenes from Hong Kong’s 2014 Umbrella Movement
On Sunday, unlike during last year’s anniversary, barricades were not erected around the site, which includes the former “Lennon Wall,” where demonstrators left colourful pro-democracy Post-it notes of support.
See also: Where are the leaders of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement now?
A police spokesperson on Monday told HKFP that they were “committed to strategically deploying sufficient officers to ensure public order and safety throughout Hong Kong.”
“This approach is essential in maintaining a secure environment in our community. When there is an operation, the police will act based on actual circumstances and in accordance with the law. It is to ensure all actions taken are legitimate and uphold the rights and safety of the public,” they added.
They did not respond when asked how many officers were deployed or how many people were stopped and searched.
The largely peaceful Umbrella Movement protests followed a weeks-long student sit-in. The demonstrations were launched in response to a ruling from Beijing that would have allowed Hongkongers to vote for their chief executive, but only from among candidates vetted by the central government.
Demonstrators’ political demands were not met. Huge protests swept the city five years later, resulting in widespread damage, mass arrests and injuries. More than 10,000 arrests were made in 2019, and hundreds were jailed.
In 2020, a Beijing-imposed national security law came into force, prescribing penalties of up to life imprisonment and effectively ending public displays of dissent. Another locally legislated security law was enacted in 2024.
