Hong Kong: Activist Wong sees fundamental rights at risk

Several hours after their arrest, two prominent Hong Kong activists have come back to the press: Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow have been released on bail.

It is hardly to be expected that the protest movement will calmed down: they wanted to continue to fight for the preservation of civil rights and more democracy, Wong and Chow assured reporters.

Chow accused Beijing and the Hong Kong government of Hong Kong of intimidating the participants in the protests. "But people will not give up or be scared," she said.

Agnes & Joshua have just come out of court after having been released on their following arrest this morning. pic.twitter.com/FXu4BvYuoS

Wong wrote to Twitter shortly after his release: "My arrest shows that the government is responding to our call for dialogue with batons, tear gas, rubber bullets and mass arrests, and our right to assembly and other fundamental rights has eroded."

My arrest shows the request for a dialogue with batons, tear gas, rubber bullet and mass arrest. Our freedom of assembly and other fundamental rights are eroded.

Wong had been on his way to a subway station on Friday morning (local time) when the police arrested him and sent him to a police station, Demosisto told his anti-Democrat party. His fellow Agnes Chow was also arrested, but in a different location.

The two activists are accused of incitement and participation by others in participating in an illegal assembly in the Chinese Special Administrative Region on June 21. Wong also has to be responsible for the organization of the demonstration.

Video about Joshua Wong: "I too could be delivered to China"

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Already on Thursday evening, according to a media report, the leader of the banned Hong Kong National Party independence party, Andy Chan, was arrested at the international airport of the metropolis, from where he wanted to fly to Japan. According to the Hong Kong Free Press news site, he is accused of participating in riots and assaulting a police officer.

Protest canceled for Saturday

Since June 9, there have been protests in the financial metropolis, often resulting in clashes between a small section of the protesters and the police. Within the protest movement, there is concern about the increasing influence of the Chinese government on Hong Kong. The demonstrators also demand an independent investigation of police violence during the protests.

The original Hong Kong protests in Hong Kong were canceled after the arrests by the organizers of the Civil Human Rights Front. Previously, the protest alliance had filed an appeal against a police ban on the march. The protest had been rejected, said the co-organizer of the protests, Bonnie Leung. This would be an illegal gathering.

"We can no longer guarantee the safety of the participants," said Leung. With the cancellation of the demonstration, the Alliance wanted to ensure that nobody had to bear the legal consequences for participation. Whether some demonstrators would venture on the road at the weekend, however, was initially uncertain. The leadership in Beijing also threatened on Friday again with military force in Hong Kong.

Wong said Friday that there would still be protests. "Whether they ban the rally or not, whether they arrest me or not, people will still come to Hong Kong (for the protests)," Wong said. "Hong Kong must not be controlled with the help of tear gas".