Protesters Send Stark Warning to the World From Besieged HK Campus

Protesters Send Stark Warning to the World From Besieged HK Campus
A message left by protesters is seen at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the Hung Hom district in Hong Kong on Nov. 21, 2019. DALE DE LA REY/AFP via Getty Images
Frank Fang
Updated:

In Hong Kong, the intense confrontation at a local university has garnered international attention as protesters continue to be holed up inside the campus in defiance of a police siege.

According to Hong Kong media, six more protesters left the city’s Polytechnic University and surrendered to riot police in the early hours on Nov. 22. They reportedly then headed to a local healthcare station for treatment.
Protesters walk inside the campus of Polytechnic University in Hong Kong on Nov. 22, 2019. Most of the protesters who took over the university last week have left, but an unknown number have remained inside for days, hoping somehow to avoid arrest. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Protesters walk inside the campus of Polytechnic University in Hong Kong on Nov. 22, 2019. Most of the protesters who took over the university last week have left, but an unknown number have remained inside for days, hoping somehow to avoid arrest. AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim

The ages of these protesters are not known. Police have been known to arrest protesters over the age of 18 who voluntarily leave the campus on suspicion of rioting. People under the age of 18 have been allowed to go home but police have collected their personal information.

At the time of writing, it is not known how many protesters are still inside PolyU.

Intense clashes between police and protesters at PolyU began this weekend.

On Sunday, the police surrounded the campus and sealed off any exit to prevent protesters from leaving. People were also prevented from entering, aside from medics and special mediators who arrived at the scene.

A protester hugs a social worker inside the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong on Nov. 22, 2019. Most of the protesters who took over the university last week have left, but an unknown number has remained inside for days, hoping somehow to avoid arrest. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
A protester hugs a social worker inside the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong on Nov. 22, 2019. Most of the protesters who took over the university last week have left, but an unknown number has remained inside for days, hoping somehow to avoid arrest. AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim

On Nov. 20, Hong Kong’s secretary of security John Lee said that about 600 people over the age of 18 had surrendered to police and had subsequently been arrested on suspicion of rioting.

Inside PolyU, protesters left messages on pavements and walls. For instance, somebody left the words “Free HK” on a building pillar.

Protesters also left a message addressed to the international community. It stated: “Dear world, CCP [Chinese Communist Party] will infiltrate your government, Chinese enterprise $ interferes your political stance, China will harvest your home like Xinjiang.

“Be aware or be next,” the statement warned.

The U.S. State Department and experts have estimated that more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities are currently detained inside internment camps in Xinjiang as part of the Chinese regime’s crackdown on “extremism.” Beijing claims that these camps are “vocational training centers.”

Outside these camps, authorities have turned the region into a police state, with Xinjiang’s population being subject to constant surveillance.

In a Nov. 21 press release, the Citizens’ Press Conference, a group that represents protesters, said that the tactics used by police to besiege PolyU, such as firing water cannons and thousands of rounds of tear gas, were inhumane.
Frank Fang
Frank Fang
journalist
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
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