Li Ka-Shing, Hong Kong’s richest man is weighing in on the protests rocking the city, urging a halt to the unrest “in the name of love.”
“Love freedom, love tolerance, love the rule of law,” said the billionaire in advertisements placed on the front pages of several local newspapers Friday, signing them as “a Hong Kong citizen.”
“Love China, love Hong Kong, love yourself. The best cause can lead to the worst result. Stop anger in the name of love,” he said.
The message from the 91-year-old, called Superman by his admirers, is the latest in a slew of appeals for calm from the city’s tycoons as conflicts between police and demonstrators grow ever more violent.
Li, unlike some of his peers, stopped short of spelling out his support for the Hong Kong government and leader Carrie Lam, who is facing calls from protesters to resign.
Demonstrations that started in early June over a controversial bill easing extraditions to China have transformed into a wider movement against Beijing’s tightening grip over the city.
With no indications of an end to the unrest, there has been increasing speculation that China will send in its troops after video footage of paramilitary police meeting in Shenzhen across the continental frontier has been shown in state media.
A spokesman for Li said in a separate statement Friday that the businessman believes Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity depends on the “one country, two systems” principle and that he wants residents to treasure that and stop the violence.
'Hong Kong’s unrest'
The 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests are a series of demonstrations in Hong Kong against an extradition bill proposed by the government of Hong Kong. If enacted, the bill would allow local authorities to detain and extradite people who are wanted in territories that Hong Kong does not have extradition agreements with, including mainland China and Taiwan. Some fear the bill would place Hong Kongers and visitors under mainland Chinese jurisdiction, undermining the autonomy of the region and citizens' rights.
Demonstrations against the bill began in March and April but escalated in June. Hundreds of thousands of people marched in protest of the bill on 9 June.
Protests on 12 June, the day the bill was scheduled to a second reading in the Legislative Council, marked a sharp escalation in violence. Riot police employed tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators. Subsequently, investigations into police behavior and greater accountability for their actions became part of protestor demands. A larger march occurred on 16 June.
On 1 July, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the annual July marches. A portion of these demonstrators split from the march and broke into the Legislative Council Complex, vandalizing central government symbols.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam suspended the extradition bill on 15 June, saying it was "dead" on 9 July.
However, she did not say the bill would be fully withdrawn.
Protests continued through the summer, escalating into increasingly violent confrontations between police, activists, pro-Beijing triad members, and local residents in over 20 different neighborhoods throughout the region. As demonstrations continue, protestors are calling for an independent inquiry on police brutality, the release of arrested protesters, a retraction of the official characterization of the protests as "riots", and direct elections to choose Legislative Council members and the Chief Executive.
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