Dueling Hong Kong protests face-off in Vancouver
Posted August 17, 2019 4:05 pm.
Last Updated August 18, 2019 6:37 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As mass political protests continue in Hong Kong, a rally in solidarity happened in Vancouver Saturday.
People met out front of the Broadway-City Hall SkyTrain Station and later in the night, they met again at Granville and Robson Street. The protest outside the SkyTrain Station also drew pro-China protesters and police officers, with the large rallies sometimes spilling into the streets.
A bit of a better look of this crowd here at Cambie and Broadway. So far the two groups are just chanting at each other but there are lots of VPD officers on hand. @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/jLtHcMjd2U
— Taran Parmar (@Tarankparmar) August 17, 2019
Alex Cheung organized the pro-Hong Kong rally at Broadway and Cambie Street and says watching the protests continue from a distance has spurred him to take action, adding it’s an issue that resonates with people here in the Lower Mainland.
“After the Huawei incident China had arrested a few Canadians,” he says “Right now Hong Kong is just a dangerous city to travel to, so Canadians need to understand that.”
Cheung says it’s important to show support for Hong Kong for people experiencing police brutality.
“What we are doing is nothing compared to those people. It’s the least we could do to help support them, voice it out, and let the whole world know what is happening,” he says.
HAPPENING NOW: “Two systems!” / “One China!”
Duelling rallies at #BroadwayCityHallSt heating up, as protestors clash. @CityNewsVAN @NEWS1130 @BT_Vancouver pic.twitter.com/HnaRQ9BvAT— Ashley Grace Burr (@AshleyBurr_) August 17, 2019
“I don’t think they understand what we are doing,” he says about the counter-protest. “Nowhere on my event had mentioned anything about Hong Kong independence.”
Other cities that saw rallies include Calgary, Toronto, and London.
A rally will also be held outside the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver on Granville on Sunday.