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Still Tired But It Was Worth It
Jul. 2nd, 2003 10:30 pmWent to the march against the anti-subversion law (http://www.article23.org.hk) yesterday.
Arrived at the Victoria Park (the starting point) before 1:30pm. The march was scheduled to start at 3:00pm.
It had been estimated that a hundred thousand people would join the petition. We soon had that number of people gathering there. Since the government had said beforehand that only those who started from inside the Victoria Park would count in the official count of the number of petitioners, lots of people were still trying to get into the Park even when the Park was full.
The whole Causeway Bay was packed with people. Those who arrived after 2pm could not get in at all, so they were packed outside, clogging all the exits and entrances. Therefore, those of us inside could not get out and they could not get in. The police had to close off the whole six lines of the Hennessy Road for us. The whole Causeway Bay was paralysed. Considering that it was the hub of shopping malls and really the place to be on a public holiday, it was no mean feat.
Still the streets outside Victoria Park were too packed for us to get out. The organisers called for patience and tolerance and we all understood immediately we should never be provoked and we should carry on. Because the government was just trying all they could to reduce the number of people joining, to find/create some excuse to stop us. And we could not allow that to happen.
And so we waited. And waited. The sun was burning. It was thirty-odd degrees and there were tens of thousands of us crowded together. But we didn't mind. Seeing that my brother and I didn't have an umbrella, an old lady offered to lend us hers to shield us from the scorching sun.
An hour passed, and then another. The organisers were trying to get us out but there were still too many people. My face was hurting from sunburn. But things were getting better - we were still waiting there but it was getting dark.
After 6pm, they had finally found a way to let us out. It was only when I got to the flower bed that I knew we were going to go over a flower bed to get out. One of the marchers next to me was a wheelchaired old lady. People were coming this way non-stop. There was no way we were going to help her to go another way. So a few of us carried her wheelchair up the flower bed and then down to the ground. I'd never thought Hong Kong people could be so nice.
We got to the end at around 8pm and home around 9pm. There were so many things happening there. I wish I could write them all down. But, gee, I'm still so tired and so shaken. 9 July there may be another petition if the government still decide to force the new law upon us. I'll be there, I'm sure.
Arrived at the Victoria Park (the starting point) before 1:30pm. The march was scheduled to start at 3:00pm.
It had been estimated that a hundred thousand people would join the petition. We soon had that number of people gathering there. Since the government had said beforehand that only those who started from inside the Victoria Park would count in the official count of the number of petitioners, lots of people were still trying to get into the Park even when the Park was full.
The whole Causeway Bay was packed with people. Those who arrived after 2pm could not get in at all, so they were packed outside, clogging all the exits and entrances. Therefore, those of us inside could not get out and they could not get in. The police had to close off the whole six lines of the Hennessy Road for us. The whole Causeway Bay was paralysed. Considering that it was the hub of shopping malls and really the place to be on a public holiday, it was no mean feat.
Still the streets outside Victoria Park were too packed for us to get out. The organisers called for patience and tolerance and we all understood immediately we should never be provoked and we should carry on. Because the government was just trying all they could to reduce the number of people joining, to find/create some excuse to stop us. And we could not allow that to happen.
And so we waited. And waited. The sun was burning. It was thirty-odd degrees and there were tens of thousands of us crowded together. But we didn't mind. Seeing that my brother and I didn't have an umbrella, an old lady offered to lend us hers to shield us from the scorching sun.
An hour passed, and then another. The organisers were trying to get us out but there were still too many people. My face was hurting from sunburn. But things were getting better - we were still waiting there but it was getting dark.
After 6pm, they had finally found a way to let us out. It was only when I got to the flower bed that I knew we were going to go over a flower bed to get out. One of the marchers next to me was a wheelchaired old lady. People were coming this way non-stop. There was no way we were going to help her to go another way. So a few of us carried her wheelchair up the flower bed and then down to the ground. I'd never thought Hong Kong people could be so nice.
We got to the end at around 8pm and home around 9pm. There were so many things happening there. I wish I could write them all down. But, gee, I'm still so tired and so shaken. 9 July there may be another petition if the government still decide to force the new law upon us. I'll be there, I'm sure.
