July

On July 1, 2003, the sixth anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China by Great Britain, the streets of the former British Crown colony fill up with protesters. The centre of the demonstration is Victoria Park, the object is the new legislation proposed by the central government in Beijing concerning national security, which entails a curtailment of individual rights. There is also room for a small pro-Beijing demonstration, but this cannot compete with the hundreds of thousands of people who join the anti-Beijing protest rally, which has prescribed black as its campaign colour. A large turnout, so soon after the panic the SARS crisis brought. But according to a revolutionary-looking speaker, the introduction of the contested law Section 23 is worse than SARS. JULY is a meticulous registration of one day of protests: discussions with stewards, confrontations with the police, problems with wheelchair users, concerns about hunger strikers and obviously the many rallying cries, like “Power to the people!” and “Down with Tung Chee Wah!” On the days following the mass demonstration, the Hongkongites watch the authorities' reactions on huge outdoor screens. Cautiously, the latter show some willingness to reconsider their plans. Or are they just scattering some phoney titbits to soothe the masses?