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Yesterday's protests in numbers:
269 arrests (178 males; 91 females; aged 12-71)
1,400 tear gas canisters fired
900 rubber bullets fired
230 foam rounds fired
6 live rounds fired in 4 separate instances
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Tear gas grenade thrown at hecklers calling police “rapists” and “murderers” in Causeway Bay with no warning. People had nothing more than surgical masks on and are coughing and desperately washing their eyes out around the corner.
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Police say they arrested over 400 people in Causeway Bay today, including around 70 here on Hennessy Road, lined up against the wall in rows awaiting processing. Few look like hardened frontliners. This rooftop is the closest media can get now to record the scene.
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Taichung’s cavernous Lennon Tunnel, still going strong after two years.
On this heartbreaking day for Taiwan, a poignant reminder that Hong Kong is still in the thoughts and prayers of many here, and as Hongkongers the least we can do right now is return that favour.
#台灣加油!
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"Who’s next if we lose? It’s beyond Hong Kong—it’s the free world versus the Chinese Communist Party. Will you stand with us?”
New #HongKongProtests video short shared on Telegram ahead of National Day tomorrow.
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.@StandNewsHK reports that an internal memo circulated at @rthk_enews today applying Chinese state media rules for writing about Taiwan:
❌ President
❌ Government
❌ Executive Yuan
❌ “National”
❌ ROC
✅ Regional leader
✅ Taiwan authorities
✅ Regional administrative organs
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.@Cambridge_Uni didn’t break up with Carrie Lam because she broke up with them first.
Lam has announced that she “took the initiative” to rescind her honorary fellowship after receiving a letter saying she’d “deviated from the principles of academic freedom and free expression."
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While opponents of the #HongKongProtests continue claim—with no evidence—that protesters are paid, they’re not even being discreet about creating massive financial incentives for crippling and very nearly killing protesters. twitter.com/XinqiSu/status…
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Some #antiELAB supporters are saying today’s airport action has already had the intended effect, with Airport Express stations closed and long lines of buses stopped on the highway awaiting police inspections. The police have done their work for them today.
(Video via Telegram)
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This scene didn’t take place in a vacuum but came after a cascade of unfortunate decisions, in which discourtesy (not even desecration) toward an object was met with state violence against the perpetrators which begot forceful resistance then threatened lethal force in return. twitter.com/jeffreychngo/s…
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Like on the 6 September Election Day protest, people have coalesced in the sidewalks and are walking through the shopping district, avoiding the police and chanting slogans.
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The turnout for District Council elections this morning is absolutely unprecedented. The queue at my local polling station does a complete lap around the housing estate. I didn’t have to line up *at all* to vote in the last election. Demographics are a cross-section of society.
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Since Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation has again closed stations nearby today’s (authorised) protest march, protesters are sharing this map of the area’s pedestrian footbridge network and are warning each other to avoid Tai Wo Hau Station, since it’s next door to a police station.
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Still can’t believe I’m writing these words about Hong Kong. twitter.com/rhokilpatrick/…
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Legendary Hong Kong writer Ni Kuang has passed away aged 87. As well as being the author of over 300 wuxia novels, he was also a fierce critic of the CCP. He once said China’s people would continue suffering as long as the Party remains in existence.
hk.news.yahoo.com/%E5%82%B3%E8%9…
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Hong Kong police: Our force is being pushed to its operational limits. We’re in a desperate situation. Frontline officers suffer from stress and abuse and may soon have to kill someone.
(bbc.com/news/world-asi…; edition.cnn.com/2019/09/20/asi…)
Also Hong Kong police: twitter.com/LamYikFei/stat…
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.@JimmyLaiApple and others at Next Media arrested under NSL for foreign collusion (hk.appledaily.com/international/…) while a new “NatSec Division” has been established to review foreign journalists’ visa applications (thestandnews.com/politics/%E5%A…).
Dark days indeed for local and int’l media.
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'I thought I was about to die’: Eyewitnesses describe brutal beatings by Hong Kong police latimes.com/world-nation/s…
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Protesters returned to the streets of Hong Kong today, the day voters were supposed to choose new city legislators, challenging the decision to postpone the election.
At least 289 people were arrested, including one under the new national security law.
washingtonpost.com/world/the_amer…
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Months in the making, the journey of the 12 HK protesters intercepted at sea last week involved an EU national and likely tacit support from Taiwan.
Huge thanks to the HKers and Taiwanese who helped us piece together details behind this remarkable story.
washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pac…
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Deeply dispiriting news for all friends and followers of @aaronMCN, as well as every Hongkonger who treasures our rapidly diminishing press freedom.
"In response to media enquiries, the Immigration Department (ImmD) does not comment on individual cases” incoming. twitter.com/hkfp/status/12…
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Another silver for Siobhán Haughey in the 100m freestyle! After already winning Hong Kong’s first swimming medal and making this the first Olympics in which Hong Kong has won more than one medal, she has now become our first Olympian to score multiple medals in a single Olympics.
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Turnout for the “Days and Nights” rally in Central isn’t stellar at this point—unsurprising in this weather—but this centrepiece banner chronicling the city’s six months of protest is inspiring some impressive and moving contributions from the attendeees.
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I thought this campaign sounded horrifying and dystopian enough when I wrote about it in October. I underestimated the dark, self-destructive path Xi's China is walking.
Turns out they're not just taking the books off the shelves: they're burning them.
thestandnews.com/politics/%E7%9… twitter.com/rhokilpatrick/…
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Chinese state media is actively spreading disinformation about Taiwan’s COVID-19 outbreak.
Taipei is not experiencing a shortage of beds (cna.com.tw/news/firstnews…) and these were set up not for treatment but for symptomatic patients to await PCR results (news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/brea…). twitter.com/globaltimesnew…
Managing Editor @cnmediaproject 中國傳媒研究計劃主編