Opposition blocks Lam's speech on the state of Hong Kong | Internationale

The speech of Hong Kong's head of self-government, Carrie Lam, on the state of the territory shows how much the political climate in the former British colony has deteriorated after four months of protests. For the first time, Lam presented his government proposals for the new political year through a previously recorded video. The attempt to do so in a traditional way, at the plenary session of the legislature on the first day of the course, ended in a resounding failure when opposition MPs forced him to shut up. between screams and yells under the slogan of the demonstrators: Five requests, not one less!

The cancellation of the act of reading the speech in the hemicycle is unprecedented in Hong Kong, although the government has already reported in recent days that this possibility was raised if protesters were trying to boycott the parliamentary session. The atmosphere was very tense, especially after the hours leading up to the adoption by the US House of Representatives of three measures to support the Hong Kong protesters. China has threatened retaliation if the measures in question become definitively laws.

Finally, only a few demonstrators went to the vicinity of Parliament, surrounded by strict security measures, gates and metal arches. The interior was something else. A couple of days of opposition MPs, many of whom wore black T-shirts reading slogans to support protesters, received Lam in the corridors with boos and posters.

The scene is repeated in the hall, in front of an audience of diplomats and journalists: hues, cries; even a projection of the ideograms with the slogan "Five claims, not one less" on the wall behind Carrie Lam at the moment the head of government was trying to start his speech at the agreed time, at eleven o'clock in the morning (hour local). ). Two opposition legislators have been expelled from the courtroom; Lam was withdrawing momentarily, amidst calls from Speaker Andrew Leung to calm down.

A second try fifteen minutes later gave the same result: Lam's voice was not heard in the hubbub of opposition. Two deputies wore masks with the effigy of Chinese President Xi Jinping to protest against the ban on hiding their faces during protests. Four others were also expelled, before Leung announced the definitive suspension of the session before the generalized pandemonium.

In his speech recorded a few minutes later in the offices of the autonomous government and under two big red flags – the Chinese and Hong Kong – Lam lamented the "chaos and fear" created by "a handful of vandals who launched attacks and sabotage in an organized and planned manner. "The head of the autonomous government promised a strong hand against violence:" no act that promotes the independence of Hong Kong and threatens the interests of sovereignty, security and development "China will not be tolerated," he insisted.

In four months of protests, which began demanding the withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill, about 400 protests have taken place in Hong Kong, which have gradually tended to escalate into acts of violence. More than 2,200 people were arrested, among the complaints of people mobilized for increasing police brutality. Demonstrators demand, among other things, universal suffrage, the release of those arrested and an independent investigation into police behavior. A survey by the City University of Hong Kong, published by the Ming Pao newspaper, reveals that 87.6% of respondents support a commission of investigation on the forces of the order and 81.3% of the reforms democratic.

The main minister proposed as a solution to overcome the malaise on the territory a combination of economic measures. His Government, which believes that the demonstrations originate from a discontent caused by the inequality of opportunity, will propose a series of initiatives to facilitate access to housing, to expand the number of building plots, to improve economic development and the living conditions of people. the population, ranging from more affordable transportation costs to measures that facilitate access to education.

"As long as we maintain an unshakeable trust, we adhere to the principle of" One Country, Two Systems "(which grants Hong Kong liberties non-existent in mainland China), put an end to the violence in accordance with the law and reinstate the law. social order as soon as it happens.Hong Kong will soon leave the storm to enjoy the rainbow, "he concluded.

The optimism aimed at inculcating this final declaration was not shared by opposition MPs, who claim that the prime minister has lost all legitimacy: the CUHK survey reveals that 73.3% of Hong Kong residents his resignation. At an impromptu press conference following the suspension of the law in the autonomous parliament, lawmaker Charles Mok pointed out that "we do not need the speech that Lam is supposed to pronounce." What people are asking is clear: five requests, not one less; Lam's resignation; investigation into police violence ".

In Nok-hin, the opposition legislator, for its part, pointed out the unusual disadvantage of a government that presents its program through a video. When that happens, he explained, "or they are terrorists like Osama bin Laden or a government in exile."