Rally against anti-Asian hate in London devolves into brawl as Hong Kong and Chinese protestors clash
By Ryan General
A group of Hong Kongers clashed with Chinese protesters who were holding a rally against racism over the weekend in London.
The Chinese side: Human rights group Min Quan Legal Centre and several organizations were conducting a rally against anti-Asian hatein London’s Chinatown on Saturday when a group of Hong Kong immigrants arrived and held a counter-rally against them, reported The Standard.
- Groups that participated in the protest included the Monitoring Group, the Federation of UK Fujian Chinese and the London Chinatown Chinese Association.
- The protesters blamed London politicians’ alleged use of anti-China rhetoric for the increase in violent attacks toward members of the Chinese community.
- According to the event organizers, they were conducting a peaceful anti-racism gathering when the Hong Kong group started to verbally attack them, chanting phrases such as “Shame on you.”
The Hong Kong side: The Hong Kongers set up a rally of their own, accusing the Chinese group of turning a blind eye to alleged human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, reported South China Morning Post.
- According to the Hong Kong group, they support the call to end anti-Asian hate but also want discrimination to stop in China.
- The group’s chants included a call to stop the alleged genocide of the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang region. A Hong Kong independence flag was also reportedly waved.
- Hong Kong activist Simon Cheng Man-kit singled out the Federation of UK Fujian Chinese and London China Town Association for publishing newspaper ads that support the Bejing initiative that would keep people deemed “unpatriotic to China” from positions of political power.
- Advocate Nathan Law similarly pointed out that some of the organizers supported the National Security Law in Hong Kong.
The fight: A brawl erupted between a dozen people from both groups as the protests came to a close in the afternoon.
- London police stopped the scuffle two minutes after it started and arrested one Chinese protester.
- The authorities are urging witnesses to file reports that might help them identify those involved in the physical altercation.
Featured Image via Stand News 立場新聞
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