At lunchtime, thousands join in, filling the streets of Central. Powerless, all riot police can do is watch, insult passers-by, frisk people, and check ID papers. At PolyU, a hundred students are still holding out in a very difficult situation.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – Hong Kong’s anti-extradition bill movement is organising flashmobs during lunch breaks after police banned rallies and assemblies.
In the past few days, people have been joining Lunch with You 2.0 to chat or walk, thousands in places like Central and Pedder Street, where major companies and the most luxurious hotels are located.
Against this, police have been powerless, venting their frustration by shouting at and insulting passers-by.
At lunchtime today, flashmobbers shouted "terrorists!" at police, and chanted slogans like "Five Demands, Not One Less!" At least 30 riot police and 5 police vehicles were guarding nearby streets.
On one case, when the traffic light turned green, a riot police officer asked people "Why don't you cross the road? You're just standing here and doing nothing”. Another one shouted “You're now participating in an unlawful assembly. Leave here as soon as possible.”
At another time a policeman shouted at young men wearing masks, whose ban was overturned after the Hong Kong Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional. At others, police simply stopped passers-by, checking folders, backpacks and asking for ID papers.
Meanwhile, the siege of the Polytechnic (PolyU) University continues with about a hundred diehards left inside, facing a difficult situation without food, some injured or poisoned from tear gas.
Some are only 16 or so and say they “would rather die than to surrender to police". And if they did the latter, they could face up to ten years in prison.
Many of those who tried to escape yesterday shimmering down ropes from bridges near the PolyU campus were stopped and arrested.
Since early June, when protests began, police have arrested about 5,000 people, many of them teenagers or very young adults.
Credit Video: Guardians of Hong Kong