SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Protesters prepare for a conflicts with police. (Photo: Tan Hui Yee/Twitter)
Hong Kong Tensions Spike as China Issues Ominous Warnings
Police warn of "serious consequences" if demonstrators occupy government buildings
Oct 02, 2014
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying refused to resign in a midnight press conference Thursday, saying the chief secretary of the territory, Carrie Lam, would open a dialogue with student leaders as soon as possible.
As a midnight deadline approached, tensions were pitched in Hong Kong, where a large and growing crowd of "Umbrella Revolution" protesters gathered around the main government offices. Activists had previously said they would occupy government buildings if their demands were not met.
Meanwhile, police officers were reportedly seen carrying containers of rubber bullets, tear gas and other riot-control gear into the buildings and authorities warned of "chaos" and "serious consequences" if protesters indeed tried to enter the complex.
Demonstrations have intensified all week, with protesters--led in large part by students--calling for free elections in Hong Kong, which has operated with more personal freedoms than the rest of China after the former British colony was turned over to China in 1997.
Follow the developments here:
Tweets about "#Umbrellarevolution OR #HongKong OR #HongKongProtests"
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying refused to resign in a midnight press conference Thursday, saying the chief secretary of the territory, Carrie Lam, would open a dialogue with student leaders as soon as possible.
As a midnight deadline approached, tensions were pitched in Hong Kong, where a large and growing crowd of "Umbrella Revolution" protesters gathered around the main government offices. Activists had previously said they would occupy government buildings if their demands were not met.
Meanwhile, police officers were reportedly seen carrying containers of rubber bullets, tear gas and other riot-control gear into the buildings and authorities warned of "chaos" and "serious consequences" if protesters indeed tried to enter the complex.
Demonstrations have intensified all week, with protesters--led in large part by students--calling for free elections in Hong Kong, which has operated with more personal freedoms than the rest of China after the former British colony was turned over to China in 1997.
Follow the developments here:
Tweets about "#Umbrellarevolution OR #HongKong OR #HongKongProtests"
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying refused to resign in a midnight press conference Thursday, saying the chief secretary of the territory, Carrie Lam, would open a dialogue with student leaders as soon as possible.
As a midnight deadline approached, tensions were pitched in Hong Kong, where a large and growing crowd of "Umbrella Revolution" protesters gathered around the main government offices. Activists had previously said they would occupy government buildings if their demands were not met.
Meanwhile, police officers were reportedly seen carrying containers of rubber bullets, tear gas and other riot-control gear into the buildings and authorities warned of "chaos" and "serious consequences" if protesters indeed tried to enter the complex.
Demonstrations have intensified all week, with protesters--led in large part by students--calling for free elections in Hong Kong, which has operated with more personal freedoms than the rest of China after the former British colony was turned over to China in 1997.
Follow the developments here:
Tweets about "#Umbrellarevolution OR #HongKong OR #HongKongProtests"
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.