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
Pedestrians walk past a big screen television replaying Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announcing the formal withdrawal of the extradition bill on September 4, 2019 in Hong Kong. (Photo: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
Following Months of Protests and Outrage, Hong Kong Leader Withdraws Extradition Bill
"We all hope to find a way out of the current impasse and unsettling times," said Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam
Sep 04, 2019
In a televised address following months of outrage and widespread protests, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Wednesday that she has fully withdrawn legislation that would have allowed extradition of Hong Kong residents to the Chinese mainland.
Lam's decision addresses one of the central demands of demonstrators who have flooded the streets and shut down the Hong Kong International Airport in recent weeks, but it is not clear whether the move will stem the protests.
"Incidents over these past two months have shocked and saddened the Hong Kong people," Lam said. "We are all very anxious about Hong Kong, our home. We all hope to find a way out of the current impasse and unsettling times."
Student activist Joshua Wong, a leading voice in the anti-Beijing protest movement, tweeted that Lam's decision is "too little and too late."
"Lam's response comes after seven lives sacrificed, more than 1,200 protestors arrested, in which many are mistreated in police station," said Wong. "The intensified police brutality in the previous weeks have left an irreversible scar to the entire HK society."
Lam's decision to withdraw the extradition bill comes after she suspended the legislation in June in the face of massive protests, which saw police deploy tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators.
As the Wall Street Journal reported, "Thousands of workers went on strike this week and university and high-school students boycotted classes and held protests, dashing government hopes that the opposition movement would peter out once school started again."
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.
In a televised address following months of outrage and widespread protests, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Wednesday that she has fully withdrawn legislation that would have allowed extradition of Hong Kong residents to the Chinese mainland.
Lam's decision addresses one of the central demands of demonstrators who have flooded the streets and shut down the Hong Kong International Airport in recent weeks, but it is not clear whether the move will stem the protests.
"Incidents over these past two months have shocked and saddened the Hong Kong people," Lam said. "We are all very anxious about Hong Kong, our home. We all hope to find a way out of the current impasse and unsettling times."
Student activist Joshua Wong, a leading voice in the anti-Beijing protest movement, tweeted that Lam's decision is "too little and too late."
"Lam's response comes after seven lives sacrificed, more than 1,200 protestors arrested, in which many are mistreated in police station," said Wong. "The intensified police brutality in the previous weeks have left an irreversible scar to the entire HK society."
Lam's decision to withdraw the extradition bill comes after she suspended the legislation in June in the face of massive protests, which saw police deploy tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators.
As the Wall Street Journal reported, "Thousands of workers went on strike this week and university and high-school students boycotted classes and held protests, dashing government hopes that the opposition movement would peter out once school started again."
In a televised address following months of outrage and widespread protests, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Wednesday that she has fully withdrawn legislation that would have allowed extradition of Hong Kong residents to the Chinese mainland.
Lam's decision addresses one of the central demands of demonstrators who have flooded the streets and shut down the Hong Kong International Airport in recent weeks, but it is not clear whether the move will stem the protests.
"Incidents over these past two months have shocked and saddened the Hong Kong people," Lam said. "We are all very anxious about Hong Kong, our home. We all hope to find a way out of the current impasse and unsettling times."
Student activist Joshua Wong, a leading voice in the anti-Beijing protest movement, tweeted that Lam's decision is "too little and too late."
"Lam's response comes after seven lives sacrificed, more than 1,200 protestors arrested, in which many are mistreated in police station," said Wong. "The intensified police brutality in the previous weeks have left an irreversible scar to the entire HK society."
Lam's decision to withdraw the extradition bill comes after she suspended the legislation in June in the face of massive protests, which saw police deploy tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators.
As the Wall Street Journal reported, "Thousands of workers went on strike this week and university and high-school students boycotted classes and held protests, dashing government hopes that the opposition movement would peter out once school started again."
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.