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UPDATE: The Lands Department has announced it’s found British HK Police Assistant Police Commissioner Rupert Dover has occupied government land unlawfully & built illegal structures in Sai Kung (!!).
Barely any punishment, obviously. But still hilarious.
news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/compon… twitter.com/JackHHazlewood…
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Breaking: SCMP reports 4 activists have entered the US consulate in HK to request asylum, hours after Tony Chung was arrested within metres of the building. SCMP captured video of them “talking to security guards before being allowed into the building.”
scmp.com/news/hong-kong…
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Now the HK Police have banned the June 4th vigil to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre, I can’t help but think of what the police will do if people attend. But violence or bloodshed on 6.4 (a seminal date in HK’s political calendar) would be a huge tactical error for them.
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Just in: Lester Shum (岑敖暉) becomes the first pro-democracy candidate to be officially disqualified ahead of September’s LegCo election. Arguably inconsequential as the election looks all but certain to be postponed for an entire year — rumour is HK govt will announce tomorrow.
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Hilarious: A passer-by goes to sign the pro-🇨🇳 camp’s petition supporting the proposed national security laws in HK, but instead writes a huge ‘屌’ on the page (literally ‘penis’, but basically the Cantonese equivalent of ‘FUCK’) 🤣😂
Gif:@lihkg_forum
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Horrendous images & video emerging of a pregnant woman being pushed to the ground by the HK police in MK. Her husband berates officers on-scene while police used pepper spray to hold back reporters & bystanders. Excruciating cries in the video. Pics: @studioincendo, Cupid News. t.co/Y140UggVPP
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Chinese state media reporter: HSBC ’highly likely’ to be put on China’s new Unreliable Entity List.
HSBC & its executives publicly supported the National Security Law in the most craven & pathetic act of fawning. But you can never kowtow enough for the regime. It’s never enough. twitter.com/qingqingparis/…
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Student reporters from HSU captured the moment HK riot police fired pepper balls inside Times Square & attempted to pursue demonstrators up escalators. People reportedly threw rubbish at them, to which they angrily responded. Vid: HSUSU
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Primary organiser Power for Democracy (民主動力) have confirmed 412,478 ballots have been cast in HK’s pan-Democratic primary as of 16:00 HKT. With just under 5 hours until polls close, turnout is set to break 500,000. Lines look longer than yesterday, too.
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Beijing's plans to overhaul HK's electoral system have just been revealed by the very-well-sourced HK01. Only 20 of the 90 seats in the reconstituted LegCo will be elected, with all anti-government candidates certain to be preventing from standing anyway. Democracy in tatters.
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Don’t forget that the HK police officer shown fraternising with triads in this video from 721 was later revealed to be Superintendent John Carroll - a senior British expatriate officer.
The men were wielding blunt instruments. Carroll didn’t arrest them, he went over to chat. twitter.com/nytimes/status…
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HK government: Chanting or displaying the slogan ‘光復香港，時代革命’ (liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times’) is now in contravention of the national security law as it “connotes Hong Kong independence”, which is illegal under prohibition on secession. Orwell is that you?
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Brilliant by @MRJKilcoyne:
“Let our people on the other side of the ocean know: as China dims the torch of freedom, that we keep it here lit for them – and that they have a home here”
Britain cannot abandon Hong Kong. Give HKers the right to live here.
telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/2…
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Summary of the blatantly politicised 'independent' IPCC report into the HK Police: Little criticism; just 'room for improvement' & 'no evidence' of police-triad collusion (!!). Total whitewash concluding pro-democracy protestors are 'dragging HK into an era of terrorism'. Thread:
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A nasty picture showing an unarmed member of the public being pepper sprayed by riot police.
This is why e.g. the IPCC report is so discredited when it claims the HK Police's conduct has been broadly proportionate and acceptable. The guy poses no threat whatsoever. Pic: 學媒新聞
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Stand News reporting an undercover HK Police officer threatened bystanders, journalists & protestors with a telescopic baton & pepper spray upon his identity being discovered at the peaceful #ShopWithYou protest in TKO. A uniformed officer escorted him away. Blue flag now raised.
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The Hong Kong government is literally instituting a secret police to enforce draconian new national security laws once they have railroaded them through LegCo.
Orwellian doesn’t cut it. One country two systems going up in smoke as Hong Kong looks into the abyss. twitter.com/rthk_enews/sta…
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Breaking: @JimmyLaiApple has been acquitted of intimidating a reporter from pro-Beijing Oriental Daily.
A truly ridiculous allegation made by an employee of a paper that is following Lai around the clock; Judge stated defendant was not a credible witness
hk.appledaily.com/local/20200903…
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Stand News has more photos of the arrests here:
As with the immediate pictures, they clearly show peaceful demonstrators, including an elderly man, being assaulted by undercover officers (clearly identifiable by them brandishing police-issued pepper spray canisters). Sickening. twitter.com/JackHHazlewood…
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Regarding the reports of the NPC in Beijing proposing national security legislation in Hong Kong today, Ming Pao (明報) is reporting the announcement will be made at a press conference at 19:45 Beijing time. Until then we don’t know for certain what it is. news.mingpao.com/pns/%e8%a6%81%…
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In her press conference Carrie Lam decried pro-democracy activists for 'spreading lies' & 'stoking hatred through propaganda posters'
...while in front of a huge propaganda poster proclaiming 'The Truth About Hong Kong', without a hint of irony.
Orwellian doesn't do it justice.
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Let that headline sink in.
Five *speech therapists* arrested for sedition over a children’s book about sheep.
Every day HK descends further & further into an Orwellian nightmare.
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Big tobacco lackeys @EdelmanPR have again bid to do the HK government’s global PR.
A previous multi-million dollar ad immediately became a meme (‘on9’ is Cantonese slang for ‘fucking stupid’), & this vid looks like it was made on Windows Moviemaker 2005:
provokemedia.com/latest/article… twitter.com/Brand_HK/statu…
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So proud to have been a small part of such an amazing team. Apple Daily journalists sacrificed everything to ensure Hongkongers could access uncensored media & pro-democracy voices for as long as possible. Now that’s gone but they gave everything they possibly could. 香港人加油！
前蘋果日報專欄作家. Words/investigations @TheSundayTimes @Telegraph @TheEconomist @ForeignPolicy @Australian etc, docs @PopularFront_