Thousands march to inform mainland Chinese of protest goals - Aljazeera.com

Hong Kong, China - New political violence erupted as riot police baton-charged protesters late on Sunday in a bid to disperse several hundred of them following a massive rally that was peaceful.

Demonstrators used umbrellas to defend themselves from the police charge after a tense 20-minute standoff on a main street in Mongkok district. Police earlier used loudhailers demanding about 300 mostly young, masked protesters to disperse, then moved in when they ignored the order.

Crowds of protesters continued to face off with police as their month-old protest movement showed no signs of abating. Scuffles broke out between what appeared to be pro and anti-government demonstrators.

Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of anti-government protesters rallied for another mass march, this time at a high-speed train terminal used for transit to mainland China in an effort to inform visitors of the intense resistance to a controversial extradition bill.

It was the first protest since demonstrators ransacked Hong Kong's Legislative Council last week. Crowds clad in black marched from Tsim Sha Tsui, a busy shopping district, to the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, in the hope of engaging mainland tourists and spreading their message of peaceful resistance.

News of the mass rallies has been largely absent in mainland China's state-controlled media. 

"We want to reveal the real image of the protest," said local politician Ventus Lau Wing-hong, who applied for a no-objection notice for the march from the police.

"We need to show peaceful, graceful demonstration to mainlanders."

About 230,000 people attended the rally, organisers said, while police put the figure at 56,000.

Hong Kong's mostly peaceful protests have been held over the last month, drawing millions to the streets to demonstrate against a bill that would allow Hong Kong people to be extradited to mainland China for criminal prosecution.

But smaller protests have gotten violent, escalating to unprecedented police brutality on June 12 and then the storming and vandalising of the financial hub's legislature offices last week.

The city's embattled, Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam has refused to fully withdraw the bill but has suspended it indefinitely. Demonstrators on Sunday said they wanted to win the support of Chinese visitors.

"Information is fraught on the mainland," said Lau.

Anti-government demonstrators rallied at the train terminal to engage mainland tourists [Casey Quackenbush/Al Jazeera]

Since the protests kicked off, Chinese censors have worked to ensure no news of the Hong Kong demonstrations reaches the 1.4 billion people on the mainland where dissent is not tolerated.

News that does appear in state media blames the demonstrations on "foreign forces".

As protesters flooded the highway and roads on Sunday leading to the rail station, participants waved British colonial flags, distributed leaflets, and used AirDrop to share electronic graphics with the public - hoping to spread understanding of the political crisis rocking the financial hub.

Much of their efforts were met with confused looks or dismissal.

"Most mainlanders do not know what we are fighting for, and this will be a very slow, educational process. It's like running a marathon," said Edward Chin, convener of the 2047 Hong Kong Monitor group.

"They've been blocked from information since the communists took over in 1949, so what can you expect? They don't even know what happened 30 years ago with Tiananmen. So this is the beginning of some good engagement. I don't know what the endgame will be."

In anticipation of clashes between pro- and anti-Beijing protesters, which have occurred at demonstrations in recent weeks, 1,500 police officers were put on standby and the sale of high-speed rail tickets was halted around midday, the South China Morning Post reported.

One country, two systems

The recent escalation has caused division in public opinion about the protests, but the main aims remain the same, including the retraction of the extradition bill, an independent investigation into the police's use of rubber-coated bullets and tear gas on protesters, and for Lam to step down.

"I cannot agree with violence, but I cannot agree with silence," said Borron Li, a 50-year-old teacher at the start of Sunday's protest.

"We've been waiting for 20 more years [for democracy]. So as a middle-class man, I'm so angry and I'm so pleased that Hong Kongers finally voice out."

Since Hong Kong was handed over to China by Britain 22 years ago, the semi-autonomous region has operated under a "one country, two systems" framework, which preserves its rule of law and civil liberties inherited from British rule but are unseen on the mainland.

Hong Kong's significant autonomy was guaranteed under the handover deal until 2047. 

In recent years, that system has come under threat by several overtures by Beijing, including the high-speed rail station, which is partly administered by Chinese law.

"If the legislation is passed then there's no difference between Hong Kong and China," said Xania, a 28-year-old participant who works at a bank in Hong Kong. "I think [mainlanders] will understand us. I don't know if they will agree with us, but I want them to know this is the fact, this is the difference."

Chin noted the stark differences between the mainland and the territory. "The core values of Hong Kong are different from China. This is beyond just the extradition amendment. This is fighting for the survival of Hong Kong."

190612074625753

Police began the first wave of arrests since the storming of the legislative council building on July 1.

"No matter what we do, even if some people sacrifice themselves, the government still rejects the response to our demands," said Lau.

"Most of our protesters, particularly the youngsters, don't know what to do. That's why we continue to find our way out, this protest is one way. Anything we can try, we need to try until the very last minute."

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2019/07/thousands-march-inform-mainland-chinese-protest-goals-190707114416223.html

2019-07-07 16:13:00Z
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Thousands march to inform mainland Chinese of protest goals - Aljazeera.com

Hong Kong, China - New political violence erupted as riot police baton-charged protesters late on Sunday in a bid to disperse several hundred of them following a massive rally that was peaceful.

Demonstrators used umbrellas to defend themselves from the police charge after a tense 20-minute standoff on a main street in Mongkok district. Police earlier used loudhailers demanding about 300 mostly young, masked protesters to disperse, then moved in when they ignored the order.

Crowds of protesters continued to face off with police as their month-old protest movement showed no signs of abating. Scuffles broke out between what appeared to be pro and anti-government demonstrators.

Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of anti-government protesters rallied for another mass march, this time at a high-speed train terminal used for transit to mainland China in an effort to inform visitors of the intense resistance to a controversial extradition bill.

It was the first protest since demonstrators ransacked Hong Kong's Legislative Council last week. Crowds clad in black marched from Tsim Sha Tsui, a busy shopping district, to the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, in the hope of engaging mainland tourists and spreading their message of peaceful resistance.

News of the mass rallies has been largely absent in mainland China's state-controlled media. 

"We want to reveal the real image of the protest," said local politician Ventus Lau Wing-hong, who applied for a no-objection notice for the march from the police.

"We need to show peaceful, graceful demonstration to mainlanders."

About 230,000 people attended the rally, organisers said, while police put the figure at 56,000.

Hong Kong's mostly peaceful protests have been held over the last month, drawing millions to the streets to demonstrate against a bill that would allow Hong Kong people to be extradited to mainland China for criminal prosecution.

But smaller protests have gotten violent, escalating to unprecedented police brutality on June 12 and then the storming and vandalising of the financial hub's legislature offices last week.

The city's embattled, Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam has refused to fully withdraw the bill but has suspended it indefinitely. Demonstrators on Sunday said they wanted to win the support of Chinese visitors.

"Information is fraught on the mainland," said Lau.

Anti-government demonstrators rallied at the train terminal to engage mainland tourists [Casey Quackenbush/Al Jazeera]

Since the protests kicked off, Chinese censors have worked to ensure no news of the Hong Kong demonstrations reaches the 1.4 billion people on the mainland where dissent is not tolerated.

News that does appear in state media blames the demonstrations on "foreign forces".

As protesters flooded the highway and roads on Sunday leading to the rail station, participants waved British colonial flags, distributed leaflets, and used AirDrop to share electronic graphics with the public - hoping to spread understanding of the political crisis rocking the financial hub.

Much of their efforts were met with confused looks or dismissal.

"Most mainlanders do not know what we are fighting for, and this will be a very slow, educational process. It's like running a marathon," said Edward Chin, convener of the 2047 Hong Kong Monitor group.

"They've been blocked from information since the communists took over in 1949, so what can you expect? They don't even know what happened 30 years ago with Tiananmen. So this is the beginning of some good engagement. I don't know what the endgame will be."

In anticipation of clashes between pro- and anti-Beijing protesters, which have occurred at demonstrations in recent weeks, 1,500 police officers were put on standby and the sale of high-speed rail tickets was halted around midday, the South China Morning Post reported.

One country, two systems

The recent escalation has caused division in public opinion about the protests, but the main aims remain the same, including the retraction of the extradition bill, an independent investigation into the police's use of rubber-coated bullets and tear gas on protesters, and for Lam to step down.

"I cannot agree with violence, but I cannot agree with silence," said Borron Li, a 50-year-old teacher at the start of Sunday's protest.

"We've been waiting for 20 more years [for democracy]. So as a middle-class man, I'm so angry and I'm so pleased that Hong Kongers finally voice out."

Since Hong Kong was handed over to China by Britain 22 years ago, the semi-autonomous region has operated under a "one country, two systems" framework, which preserves its rule of law and civil liberties inherited from British rule but are unseen on the mainland.

Hong Kong's significant autonomy was guaranteed under the handover deal until 2047. 

In recent years, that system has come under threat by several overtures by Beijing, including the high-speed rail station, which is partly administered by Chinese law.

"If the legislation is passed then there's no difference between Hong Kong and China," said Xania, a 28-year-old participant who works at a bank in Hong Kong. "I think [mainlanders] will understand us. I don't know if they will agree with us, but I want them to know this is the fact, this is the difference."

Chin noted the stark differences between the mainland and the territory. "The core values of Hong Kong are different from China. This is beyond just the extradition amendment. This is fighting for the survival of Hong Kong."

190612074625753

Police began the first wave of arrests since the storming of the legislative council building on July 1.

"No matter what we do, even if some people sacrifice themselves, the government still rejects the response to our demands," said Lau.

"Most of our protesters, particularly the youngsters, don't know what to do. That's why we continue to find our way out, this protest is one way. Anything we can try, we need to try until the very last minute."

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2019/07/thousands-march-inform-mainland-chinese-protest-goals-190707114416223.html

2019-07-07 16:12:00Z
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British Ambassador Kim Darroch criticizes Trump administration in leaked memos - CBS News

Leaked diplomatic cables reveal that Britain's ambassador to the United States regards President Donald Trump's administration as inept, hobbled by infighting, and unlikely to improve.

The memos published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper contain highly critical comments from Ambassador Kim Darroch about the current state of Trump's government, providing a rare look at how a senior British diplomat views the government of Britain's closest ally.

"We don't really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept," Darroch wrote in one of a series of leaked documents covering the period from 2017 to the present.

Trending News

Britain's Foreign Office did not challenge the authenticity of the leaked documents. It called the leak "mischievous behavior" and said the public expects diplomats to provide honest assessments of the politics in the countries where they are posted.

Justice Secretary David Gauke called the leak "disgraceful" but said Britain "should expect our ambassadors to tell the truth, as they see it."

The memos also characterized Trump's policy on Iran as "incoherent, chaotic." Trump has frustrated European allies by withdrawing the United States from a complex deal designed to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons and has seemed in recent weeks to be on the verge of armed conflict with Iran.

The ambassador said he did not believe Trump's public explanation for calling off a planned military strike against Iran last month.

U.K. ambassador on good relationship with Trump administration

Darroch said there are doubts about whether the White House "will ever look competent" and that the only way to communicate with the president is by being simple and blunt.

He said that while Trump had been "dazzled" by British pageantry on a state visit hosted by Queen Elizabeth II in June, the successful visit would not lead to a fundamental shift in Trump's priorities.

"This is still the land of America First," he wrote.

Darroch expressed a more measured view of the relationship between the two countries in an interview with CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett on "The Takeout" podcast last fall. Darroch said then that while the U.K. had a good relationship with the Trump administration, British leaders also recognized the need to "look at Twitter a bit more often than we used to."

"There are times when things happen unexpectedly. That's not unique to this administration," Darroch said. 

"My interpretation of what the president says is that he believes strongly in pursuing American interests."

Darroch's unvarnished views in the leaked diplomatic cables may lead to some awkwardness, especially since Trump said shortly after his election in 2016 that Brexiteer Nigel Farage would make an excellent British ambassador to the United States.

Trump has not hesitated to inject himself into Britain's political fray, repeatedly criticizing Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit negotiating strategy and praising both Farage and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a strong contender to become the next prime minister.

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uk-ambassador-kim-darroch-criticizes-trump-in-leaked-memos/

2019-07-07 14:21:00Z
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British Ambassador To US Calls Trump Inept In Ill-Timed Memos Leak - NPR

Enlarge this image

Sir Kim Darroch, U.K.'s ambassador to the U.S., called President Trump an inadequate leader who poses a threat to the international trade system, in memos leaked to the Daily Mail. Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In a series of confidential memos sent to the British Foreign Office, Britain's ambassador to the U.S., Sir Kim Darroch, assails President Trump's character and leadership.

The Daily Mail, which first leaked and excerpted the diplomatic cables, reports that Darroch describes Trump as an insecure and incompetent leader of an administration marred by "vicious infighting" and "false claims."

"We don't really believe this Administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept," the ambassador wrote in leaked documents, according to the Daily Mail.

By Sunday morning, the White House had not commented on the leak.

Darroch's dispatches — which date from 2017 to present, according to the Daily Mail — tells Britain officials that, though Trump's presidency could collapse in "disgrace and downfall," he warns: "Do not write him off."

A Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokesperson did not deny the authenticity of the memos, but says they don't necessarily reflect the stance of any part of Britain's government.

"The British public would expect our Ambassadors to provide Ministers with an honest, unvarnished assessment of the politics in their country," reads the FCO official's statement. "Their views are not necessarily the views of Ministers or indeed the government. But we pay them to be candid. Just as the U.S. Ambassador here will send back his reading of Westminster politics and personalities.

"Of course we would expect such advice to be handled by Ministers and civil servants in the right way and it's important that our Ambassadors can offer their advice and for it remain confidential. Our team in Washington have strong relations with the White House and no doubt that these will withstand such mischievous behaviour."

In June, Trump visited U.K. officials, including Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. A crowd of protesters rallied outside Buckingham Palace when he got there.

The leaked messages are especially ill-timed for the U.K. as it seeks to lock down a post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S., if it leaves the European Union. The deadline for Brexit is currently Oct. 31.

The Daily Mail also reports that Darroch raises concerns that Trump's "America First" agenda could "denounce the WTO [World Trade Organization], tear up existing trade details, launch protectionist action, even against allies. It could further undermine international action on climate change, or further cut UN funding."

Among the leaked memos was a list offering advice for other top British officials in their dealings with Trump. According to the Daily Mail, the ambassador advised, "You need to start praising him for something that he's done recently."

Darroch took his post as Britain's ambassador to the U.S. in January 2016. He previously served as national security advisor under former Prime Minister David Cameron.

Nigel Farage, leader of the Brexit party in the U.K., tweeted on Sunday, "Kim Darroch is totally unsuitable for the job and the sooner he is gone the better."

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https://www.npr.org/2019/07/07/739251572/top-british-diplomat-assails-trumps-inept-presidency-in-leaked-memos

2019-07-07 13:41:00Z
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U.K.'s top diplomat in U.S. reportedly blasts Trump in leaked memos - NBC News

LONDON — The U.K.'s top diplomat in the U.S. reportedly views President Donald Trump as "inept," "insecure" and "incompetent," according to leaked diplomatic cables.

Kim Darroch, Britain's ambassador to Washington, D.C., made the highly critical comments about the president and his administration in a series of memos to London, according to the Mail on Sunday newspaper.

NBC News has not seen or verified the existence of the cables.

If true, the leaks provide a rare insight into how a key U.S. ally views the Trump administration behind closed doors.

The memos were reportedly critical of Trump's economic policies, claiming they could wreck the world trade system, described conflicts within the White House as "knife fights" and warned "the worst cannot be ruled out" in regard to allegations of Trump's collusion with Russia.

"We don't really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept," Darroch wrote in one of a series of leaked documents covering the period from 2017 to the present.

NBC News has reached out to the White House and U.K. ambassador's office for comment.

The U.K. foreign office defended Darroch in a statement, saying that ambassadors are allowed to be candid about their views.

"The British public would expect our Ambassadors to provide Ministers with an honest, unvarnished assessment of the politics in their country," the statement said, adding an ambassador's perspective is not representative of the views of the government.

The statement did not deny the veracity of the leak, instead condemning the apparent breach of protocol.

"It’s important that our Ambassadors can offer their advice and for it remain confidential," the statement said.

"Our team in Washington have strong relations with the White House and no doubt that these will withstand such mischievous behaviour.”

Kim Darroch, United Kingdom's ambassador to the United States, speaks during a television interview in New York on May 18, 2018.Victor J. Blue / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

The reported leaks could nonetheless spark a reaction from a president who hasn’t always taken kindly to criticism.

Trump has previously lambasted London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Twitter, calling him a “stone cold loser” who was doing a “terrible job” in response to Khan’s condemnation of Trump's state visit to the U.K.

Darroch reportedly referenced the incident while warning officials of more such outbursts.

“For a man who has risen to the highest office on the planet, President Trump radiates insecurity,” he said, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Interactions between Washington and Westminster have been tumultuous throughout Trump's tenure, despite the countries’ much-lauded special relationship.

Trump previously criticized outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May's handling of Brexit while praising her likely successor, Boris Johnson.

Johnson is the favorite of two candidates competing for the job in a leadership election of Britain's ruling Conservative Party, after May announced her resignation earlier this year.

The winner will be announced later this month.

"I think Boris would do a very good job. I think he would be excellent," Trump told the British tabloid The Sun on the eve of his state visit.

Trump has previously suggested the ambassador’s role be filled by Brexit leader Nigel Farage. He also met with Farage in London during last month's trip.

Farage responded to the reportedly leaked cables on Sunday, calling for Darroch to resign or be fired.

"Kim Darroch is totally unsuitable for the job and the sooner he is gone the better," he said on Twitter.

Linda Givetash

Linda Givetash is a reporter based in London. She previously worked for The Canadian Press in Vancouver and Nation Media in Uganda. 

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-k-s-top-diplomat-u-s-reportedly-blasts-trump-n1027166

2019-07-07 12:56:00Z
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Hong Kong protesters take to Kowloon, in bid to appeal to mainland Chinese tourists - CNN

Sunday's protest was the first anti-extradition demonstration to take place in Kowloon, an area across the harbor from Hong Kong Island and away from the city's financial district.

The choice of location was an attempt by the protesters to appeal to tourists from mainland China, who often go to Kowloon for shopping trips.

Police put the turnout at 56,000, while organizers said 230,000 attended.

The crowds gathered around West Kowloon station, which connects Hong Kong with mainland China. Many of the slogans were chanted partly in Mandarin during the protest so Chinese mainland tourists could understand.

Protesters fear the proposed new law could be used to seize government critics and send them across the border to face trial in a system with a 99% conviction rate and a history of political prosecutions.

The ongoing protests have already forced the government to suspend the bill. Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam previously said there was no timeline for discussions around the bill to resume and indicated it's unlikely to pass this year.

The protesters are demanding Lam retracts the bill entirely, and also called for her to resign.

A law firm assistant, Penny Lau, was one of those attending the march on Sunday. The 24-year-old said the protests will go on until the government listens to their demands.

"I definitely do think the protests will continue as long as the government keeps ignoring us," she said.

Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom, said Sunday that Lam did not receive any instructions or orders from Beijing to implement the controversial extradition law.

"Chief Executive and the Hong Kong government want to make Hong Kong a safer place, and not a safe haven for fugitive criminals," Liu said in a BBC interview.

The ambassador said China was strongly opposed to what it called the "British intervention in Hong Kong's internal affairs."

London summoned the Chinese ambassador over what it said were "unacceptable and inaccurate" comments made by Beijing regarding the UK's role in ongoing Hong Kong protests.

Beijing has hit out at the UK over accusations of "interference" in the city after British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt expressed support for Hong Kong protesters and said London would stand by the city in preserving its limited democratic freedoms.

The UK handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997. Under an agreement from that time, Beijing agreed the city would be governed under the principle of "one country, two systems" with a high degree of autonomy for the next 50 years.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/07/asia/hong-kong-protests-intl/index.html

2019-07-07 13:36:00Z
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How Britain just inched closer to the US on Iran - Washington Examiner

Deploying Royal Marines from its Gibraltar territory at the Mediterranean Sea gateway, Britain on Thursday seized an Iranian oil tanker it says is breaching European Union sanctions against trade with Bashar Assad's Syrian regime.

This is proof of Britain's increasing alignment with America on Iran.

Britain insists it supports EU efforts to stabilize the Iran nuclear agreement. But London knew full well the fury its seizure would spark in Tehran.

Upset that its global circumnavigation (transiting the Suez Canal would have been quicker than traveling around the Cape of Good Hope!) to resupply Syria has been busted, Iran is warning that unless the tanker is released, it will seize a British tanker in retaliation. This threat should not be judged idle. Iranian hardliners are desperate to increase pressure on the EU to get it to weaken crippling U.S. sanctions. And they will regard Britain's action as a pretext to act.

The British are well aware of this, and their action here cannot be disconnected from its broader strategic environment. With a new prime minister entering office in late July and Iran now overtly breaching the nuclear accord, Britain's Iran policy is ripe for reconsideration. The fact that Assad has used Iranian oil to enable his massacre of hundreds of thousands of Syrians only consolidates British action under international law.

But the headline here is that the fragile coalition holding together the Iran nuclear agreement has suffered another blow. Iran is increasingly isolated.

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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/how-britain-just-inched-closer-to-the-us-on-iran

2019-07-07 12:30:00Z
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