Hong Kong has held countless anti-government marches and rallies since the Lychee Revolution started in June. (Can we call it that? Please? It needs a name.) Every time observers think protest fatigue might be setting in, the turnout is massive.
But could this Saturday’s gathering be different? It marks the fifth anniversary of the political non-reform package – not the most zappy reason for a demonstration. It will probably be raining. And there’s lots more coming, like university class boycotts in the days and weeks ahead.
The Hong Kong Police come to the rescue by banning the planned assembly in any form. Another bout of illegal-gathering violence is born.
(By definition, the government must be the cause of anti-government demonstrations. But Sussex University’s Dept of Protest Mayhem Studies research shows that in Hong Kong the authorities are virtually designing the lawlessness and chaos. It notes ‘the role of government and police in setting up the scenario where protests take place’, and how (in 2014) ‘the use of tear gas against protesters was one of the main reasons for people to join the ongoing demonstrations’.)
Which brings us to the PLA’s annual troop rotation, which just took place. They did it tastefully – that is, at night – as always. Some people are saying it’s a few months earlier than usual. Others are claiming that troops came in, but none left. Overseas observers are freaking out. The local mood is a barely noticeable shrug.
Tanks on Queens Road are about as likely as those Emergency Powers from 1922, under which Carrie Lam would take a thick pencil to all offensive telegraph signals coming through the colony, ‘seize property’ (just try it), and lock up anyone she wants for life. But as a precaution, the HK Internet Service Providers Association issue a statement warning that just messing with one or two apps and websites will likely lead to erection of a full Mainland-style firewall, so kiss bye-bye to your international financial hub.
And former Chief Executive ultra-patriot CY Leung is offering a Free!!! massage chair plus HK$500 in Park N Shop coupons to anyone who produces the severed head of a protester who has damaged the national flag.
And on another note, what kind of epiphany has Michael Chugani had as of late? There was a time he could be counted on for slavishly obedient kow towing to the CCP. It’s like he’s a new man…
Whatever is going to happen on Saturday will be decided online in the next 48 hours. Therefore nobody knows yet. Personally I am thinking about a ‘shopping spree’ in Central. Where it will take me, who knows? Tea at Sevva, lunch in the Landmark, purchasing tat in Lyndhurst Terrace……the possibilities are endless.
The police have been manufacturing violence in all sorts of obvious ways, like kettling people inside a shopping mall, screaming at them to disperse, and then firing tear gas at them for not dispersing. You may recognize them in the playground bully who keeps smacking other kids while sneering “Stop hitting yourself!”
Isn’t “Lychee Revolution” a step too far and frankly Trump-like in its obvious narcissism? Best just claim it was a bit of sarcastic humour and move on in search of another mid-summer fruit like the “Dragon Eye Revolution” which carries more of a sting.
Copied from HK Columns Translated –
11:50 29 Aug: [Cultural Revolution in Practice] Cathay Pacific Updates Staff Code – Encourages Staff to Report Each Other’s Breach of Code
Cathay Pacific updated its code of staff behaviour, stating its zero-tolerance attitude towards staff’s participation in illegal events. The airline also encourages staff to report any suspected breach of code.
In an internal circular, CX said recently there were many wrong information in media reports regarding dismissing employees, leading to anxiety among staff members. CX will not comment on individual cases but it pledged to its employees that the decision of dismissal was reviewed officially and carefully by the executive. CX holds a zero-tolerance attitude towards illegal activities and does not allow employees to use resources of the airline to express their political opinion.
The circular stated that the company needs to build up a culture of obedience [note: HKCT believes the circular is written in English and we have not obtained a copy of it so such wordings are just for reference], so the company encouraged staff members to report any suspected breach of code around them. The company will follow up, investigation and keep the identity of the whistleblower secret
@Mary: Wow…CX has gone full Cultural Revolution. It will not end well when suddenly a sick out might happen. But then again, Air China will just bring in thousands of mainland staff for the full takeover (which was probably planned anyway).
Just a thought: Can aircraft be fitted with water cannon? The oily-haired loyalists would certainly go softer on Cathay Pacific if the next ‘CX’ flight were to fly low over a protest march and let go with a few good squirts.
And then on to the schools! Those sneaky teachers and the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, (if the ‘People’s Daily’ is to be believed), are poisoning the youth! This must be rectified, and a good dose of a Cathay Pacific Water Cannon flight might just do the trick.
CYL takes another step in proving that he is an undeclared CCP member, what an arsehole he was (sorry for the tautology) and why he was resultingly hated by all right thinking HK people. I hope XJP purges him in a factional squabble.
@Mary: In that case, I encourage every single Cathay employees to report on each other for illegal activities such jaywalking, failing to dismount a bicycle in a pedestrian underpass, leaving a parking meter for 30 seconds too long, uttering a curse word on the MTR, bringing a dog to a park, spitting in a storm drain, torrenting Game of Thrones, and wearing socks with Crocs. They did say “zero tolerance”. Let them sort it all out.
On a separate note, here is another piece attempting to analyze the garbage fire of Donald Trump’s psychology, this one arguing that he is only willing to tolerate outgroups like immigrants if they perform unending gratitude towards him. No-one else’s accomplishments can ever be recognized their own; they can only be the result of his largesse. Due to his insistence on demonstrations of public servility, he has no real friends, cannot trust anyone, and is therefore paranoid and weak despite claiming to be generous and confident.
Swap “Donald Trump” with “the CCP” and “immigrants” with “Hong Kong”, and the entire thing still works perfectly.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/08/trumpism-ilhan-omar-immigrant-gratitude.html
@Mary Melville
It’s extremely concerning that Cathay keeps using the term “illegal activities”, since it seems the vast majority of protest actions are nothing of the sort. This type of terminology is something you would expect out of a CCP-sanctioned press release, which would imply that the very act of protest — in any form — is itself illegal.
@Cassowary
Exactly! Also, I suspect that employees could report a lot of dirt on Cathay Pacific’s higher-ups (after all, what large company is squeaky clean?), which could be simultaneously filed internally — as per Cathay’s “white terror” campaign — and with the Independent Comission for Corruption, and perhaps even with the media.
I still have some Asia Miles to cash in. After that, I don’t see Cathay getting my business in future. I wonder how many other passengers they’re losing as a result of their servility in the face of CCP bullying?
The new ‘Cadre Pacific’ logo will be fresh and memorable, according to my designer friends who have seen it.
Apparently it will sport a new colour, (red, obviously), and will feature a few stars.
Clean, fresh, and relevant to the new direction that ‘Cadre Pacific’ is taking.
Cadre Pacific’s new marketing motto: “Just Another Chinese Airline”