Hong Kong protesters urge former ruler Britain to intervene over controversial extradition bill

The British government is facing mounting pressure from Hong Kong protesters to voice stronger opposition against a controversial extradition bill that has sparked mass protests and violent clashes.

People in Hong Kong are calling on the city’s former colonial ruler to stop selling crowd-control equipment including tear gas grenades, which is thought to have been used to break up this week’s protests against the law. 

Police were accused of over-stepping lawful powers and launching an unprecedented operation against the much larger mass of peaceful protesters in the former British colony, which was handed back to Chinese rule in 1997, amid guarantees of autonomy and freedoms.

‘Britain has abandoned us,’ said Sanders Lau, 27, a musician who joined rallys on Sunday and Wednesday in protest against the extradition law, told MailOnline.

‘The fact that the people of Hong Kong had absolutely no say on this matter is infuriating, he said. ‘Britain has not done its best to ensure that China is honouring the Joint Declaration.’ 

Opposition to the bill on Sunday triggered the former British colony’s biggest political demonstration since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 under a ‘one country, two systems’ deal guaranteeing it special autonomy, including freedom of assembly, free press and independent judiciary.

Police were accused of over-stepping lawful powers and launching an unprecedented operation against the much larger mass of peaceful protesters in the former British colony, which was handed back to Chinese rule in 1997, amid guarantees of autonomy and freedoms

Violence erupted during clashes between police and protesters on Wednesday, with riot police firing rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at unarmed protesters in the worst unrest the city has witnessed in decades

The extradition bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling through the city, has sparked concerns it may threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong’s international financial status.  

Violence erupted during clashes between police and protesters on Wednesday, with riot police firing rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at unarmed protesters in the worst unrest the city has witnessed in decades.

The violence left 81 people injured, the hospital authority said. 

Much of the tear gas and crowd control ammunition used against protesters in Hong Kong today is likely to have been made in UK, or at least by companies headquartered here, according to The Guardian.

The Campaign Against the Arms Trade points out that the UK government has granted a number of licences to Hong Kong allowing the export of a wide range of crowd-control equipment, including tear gas, anti-riot guns, anti-riot shields, body armour, and crowd control ammunition.

The most recent licence was granted in December 2018 (the latest month for which data is available), but exports also take place under an Open Licence granted in 2015, allowing an unlimited quantity to be exported for 5 years.

A Chinese official has called western criticism of a Hong Kong extradition bill ‘irresponsible’ and says foreign countries have no right to intervene in China’s affairs.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang accused western politicians Friday of blatantly encouraging Hong Kong activists who have led huge protests against the bill in the past week.

China routinely objects to any criticism as meddling in its internal affairs, including the semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong.

Geng said that ‘no country, organization or individual has the right to intervene.’

He added that all Chinese including the citizens of Hong Kong will surely oppose any attempts to create chaos in Hong Kong and undermine the city’s prosperity and stability.