Hong Kong: 'Silver protest' as elderly march in support of youths
The silver-haired protesters criticised the heavy-handed tactics used by police to break up youth rallies over the last month.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 16:30, UK
Senior citizens in Hong Kong have taken to the streets in support of the youths at the forefront of month-long protests against a widely-hated extradition bill.
About 2,000 elderly people, including a popular actress, joined a "silver hair protest" in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory on Wednesday.
Wearing white tops and black trousers, the demonstrators, some in wheelchairs, held placards that read, "Never give up" and "Stay together" in a show of unity with youth protests against a controversial extradition bill.
Deanne Ip, a veteran actress and singer, condemned heavy-handed tactics used by police on young protesters, who "have no guns" and were peacefully expressing their frustrations.
"They are young people and they are doing the right thing. Why are they being mistreated?" she said.
Ip and several others held a banner reading, "Support youth to protect Hong Kong" as they marched through a financial district.
The seniors also criticised police for their handling of a protest on Sunday in the Sha Tin district, which started peacefully but ended with dozens injured following violent clashes in a shopping mall.
A policeman had a finger bitten off and more than 40 people were detained.
Major protests have taken place in the past month against a proposal to change extradition laws in Hong Kong, which would allow crime suspects in the territory to be transferred to the mainland.
The bill is seen as a threat to Hong Kong's freedoms that were guaranteed for 50 years when China took back control of the former British colony in 1997.
The demonstrations have swelled to include complaints about an influx of mainland Chinese to the territory, and claims local leaders are more responsive to the Beijing government than to the territory's people.
Hong Kong's embattled leader, Carrie Lam, suspended the bill and declared the legislation "dead", but it failed to placate the protesters, who have demanded her resignation.
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The senior citizens repeated demands for the legislation to be formally withdrawn, for the release of dozens of people who were detained and for an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.
More protests have been planned which could cause further instability in the global financial hub.