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SCMP Reporters

Thousands of civil servants have gathered in Hong Kong’s business district to urge their employer, the embattled government, to address protesters’ demands over the extradition bill crisis.
Civil servants, who were joined by residents from different sectors, took to the streets despite the administration’s stern warning a day earlier that they had to remain politically neutral and have “total loyalty” to the city’s leader, or risk consequences.
Just hours before the unprecedented rally on Friday evening, the city’s deputy leader Matthew Cheung Kin-chung warned workers on the public payroll not to “do things in contrast with the government’s views”.
But many civil servants said, using online platforms, that they were undeterred from making their voices heard.
Follow our liveblog for the updates of the rally.


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News

Hong Kong

Politics


Protesters condemn government warning that its employees should maintain political neutrality or risk consequences
Action comes as police report seven more arrests over Yuen Long station attack, and protesters win the right to march in Mong Kok on Saturday



Action comes as police report seven more arrests over Yuen Long station attack, and protesters win the right to march in Mong Kok on Saturday


Hong Kong extradition bill

Live

In nearby Edinburgh Place, hundreds of health care professionals, many dressed in black, are still gathered to show their discontent on a number of issues, including insufficient protection of patients’ privacy in public hospitals, and police allegedly obstructing first-aid workers at protest scenes.
They chant “Save lives, save Hong Kong”. Some carry placards, with messages such as “Rescue Hong Kong, we can wait no longer” and “Protect the future”. 
A Lennon Wall is also set up at the rally site for participants to post messages. It is the second assembly held by the medical sector in a week. Last Friday, some 1,500 health care workers gathered at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei to condemn the mob violence in Yuen Long on July 21.
 


Showing their support

Cheung Ka-po, one of the civil servants who initiated the rally, said members of the crowd were there in their free time as ordinary citizens, and participation would not compromise their professional services.
"As our society approaches the brink of collapse, civil servants and other social sectors have voiced our concerns," Cheung says. "In the face of right and wrong, if we choose to stay silent, we will be betraying our duties and people's trust."
Cheung called on the government to formally withdraw the bill, and to launch an independent probe into the whole political storm. "Only in this way can our society walk out of grief and reconcile," he says.



Ordinary citizens

Po Lai, 29, says he is attending the rally, despite not being a civil servant, because "civil servants have come out for us; we should be here for them as well".
Lai, who works as a clerk, says the rally is irrelevant to political neutrality. "They are merely reiterating our five demands and the identity of civil servants can amplify the call," he says. 
He might not go on strike on Monday. "I have a lot to handle and my superiors have emailed us, calling staff to remain calm and hinting at potential consequences," he says.



Supporting the civil service

Anson Chan Fang On-sang, the former No 2 official, says she admires and is grateful for the conscience and moral courage of the civil servants who have come out despite the government’s “stern and apparently intimidating statement” on Thursday night.
“To cultivate a civil service that is excellent and efficient at work, that has high morale, that adheres to political neutrality, we not only need civil servants to be loyal to their duties,” Chan says. “More importantly, the chief executive and her leadership team must protect institutional justice and answer people’s demands.”

 


Anson Chan speaks

More than 10,000 people are at Edinburgh Place, filling the whole garden. Participants at the medical rally earlier signed a petition support a nurse who was among the 44 people charged with rioting following the clashes in Central and Western district on Hong Kong Island on Sunday.
Joyce Choi, a medical laboratory technologist at a public hospital, is among those who signed the petition. “The nurse was there to help others, but she was considered as joining the protest only because she was at the scene,” Choi says. “I found that unreasonable.”
Choi, who was also in the rally at Queen Elizabeth Hospital last week, says she hopes to do what she can to show her support to other Hongkongers. “It would be difficult for me to go on strike...but we cannot be silent and remain neutral any more,” she says.



Health professionals' rally grows

Thousands more have joined the rally, which is effectively occupying Jackson Road and Chater Road.
“Keep it up, civil servants! Support civil servants!” they chant.

Photo: Alvin Lum


'Keep it up!'

Thirteen pan-democratic lawmakers attend the rally to show their support.
"Civil servants should be loyal to the people. When the government cannot be loyal to the people, civil servants have to make a choice," says Claudia Mo Man-ching, convener of the bloc. "Though civil servants are required to be unbiased, basic universal values like freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law should be embraced by all of us."
Lawmaker Tanya Chan accuses the government of intimidating the civil servants. "What's wrong with this government?" she asks. "It lets those who should be arrested remain at large, but threatens those who put their career and family on the line to tell the government it has gone wrong."


Pan-democrats join rally

In Edinburgh Place, the organiser of the medical rally announces it estimates more than 10,000 people are attending the rally. Most of the participants sit on the ground, with some standing on the side, and on a rooftop of the nearby City Hall.



Crowds growing

With some medical professionals from the understaffed public hospitals saying they will join Monday's strike, the Hospital Authority says it will stay vigilant.
“Public hospitals will implement necessary contingency arrangements to ensure normal patient services, including manpower deployment in clinical and supporting units, transportation and accommodation arrangements for staff on duty,” an authority spokesman says.


Hospital Authority preparing for Monday strike

Engineer Mr. Lee, who has worked for the government for about four years, says he is joining the rally as a private citizen. 
“I have my own rights as a citizen,” Lee says. “I’m not here for work, and only to participate, I don’t see there’s any issue of political neutrality. For the next workday, I will continue to give my very best in my own area.”
He said he has reservations about government's claim that civil servants must be loyal to the chief executive. “As civil servants, I’m only serve the Hong Kong people instead of just one person.”


I serve all Hong Kong, not just Carrie Lam

Police say seven more men have been arrested for unlawful assembly for their alleged roles in the Yuen Long attack on July 21, when a group of men in white T-shirts attacked passengers at the town's MTR station. Police say some of those arrested have triad backgrounds. One was stopped trying to cross the border at Lok Ma Chau check point. 
Senior Superintendent Chan Tin-chu, of the New Territories North regional headquarters, does not disclose whether they are Yuen Long villagers, and says police will enforce the law regardless of background or political beliefs. Police have arrested 19 men so far.


More Yuen Long arrests

A civil servant from the Environmental Protection Department, who says his name is Edward Chan, attends the rally with about 10 colleagues from Kowloon. 
He says he is frustrated that the government has not responded to protesters' five key demands, and the group will consider taking a leave of absence on Monday as protest. 
“We will all use different ways to skip Monday work, say sick leave, or compensation leave,” Chan says. “We need to do something to put pressure on the government."


Leave of absence

Placards at the civil service rally read: “Political neutrality does not equal lacking a conscience”.

 


'Political neutrality does not equal lacking a conscience'

A civil servant, who has been working for the government for 15 years, says attending a rally in his free time will not compromise his political neutrality at work.
The man, who calls himself Tony, says political neutrality means providing professional and quality services to citizens, regardless anyone's political beliefs.
"If the rally were to support the government and the police, would the government criticise us for breaching political neutrality?" Tony says. "This means the top echelon themselves are not neutral at all."
Tony calls the statement issued on Thursday night an intimidation. "I found it really weird that they asked us to be loyal to Carrie Lam and her administration," he says. "We signed an employment contract with the government. We didn't take any pledge. What we serve should be the people instead of Carrie Lam. Should we carry out a task if we know it's unjust and unreasonable? I hope I won't have to bear any consequences for attending, otherwise what's the difference between Hong Kong and mainland China?" 


'If I'm punished, what's the difference between Hong Kong and mainland China?'

After about 2½ hours, the rally in Edinburgh place has come to an end. People are leaving peacefully.
Over in Chater Garden, the gathering is still going strong.
The sudden onset of rain has not dampened the crowd's enthusiasm. Participants take out umbrellas and stay close to each other.

 


Edinburgh Place rally ends

Some more images from the rally at Chater Garden, from SCMP photographer Felix Wong.





Pictures from the scene

Political scientist Joseph Chan Cho-wai says he told senior government officials a few weeks ago there were only two ways to handle the protests, to reform or to suppress.
"When public grievances sweep like floods, you either divert the water or build a dam. Pity that the government chose the dam," Chan says. "But a dam built with police using force, triad intimidating people, outdated laws and Beijing's intervention cannot stop this flood."
Chan says civil servants' duty is not to defend this dam, but the institutions protecting rule of law, justice and freedom. "Priority of rule of law is to constrain the government from abusing power," he says. "Civil servants should defend this tradition."



Supression or reform

As the rally goes on, Jackson Road, Chater Road and part of Des Voeux Road are closed to traffic.
Trams are still running.


Traffic update

Two young civil servants from the Home Affairs Department come with their faces covered. 
The pair say the statement calling on them to uphold political neutrality was “ridiculous”.
“So the police force enjoy privileges? Why could they criticise Matthew Cheung and press him for a meeting but we are told to have 'absolute loyalty' to Carrie Lam?” one says. “We enjoy freedoms which should not be deprived just because of our jobs.” 
Yet, they say they wore masks as they feel under pressure as “some of our colleagues and bosses are pro-government. We have to stay away from trouble". 


A 'ridiculous' statement

Political scientist Ray Yep reads out part of a letter he has written to mainland Chinese students at City University.
"Students from mainland China, I hope you can see that what's happening in Hong Kong is not because Hongkongers resent those related to China, or we want to challenge the central authority," it reads.
"We are doing this because we stand fast in defending our basic human rights. We want to show this callous [Hong Kong] government we will not back down even though we do not have votes or power. This is our bottom line and we can't retreat any more."
Earlier in July, a mainland Chinese graduate from Polytechnic University pushed the statue of the Goddess of Democracy at CityU to the floor, after vandalising a Lennon Wall nearby.


A letter to the mainland

Former secretary for the civil service Wong Wing-ping says civil servants are not breaching the principle of political neutrality.
"Political neutrality means our political stance will not affect our unbiased and professional services for the people, instead of being loyal to some individuals," Wong says. "What the medical staff and firefighters did to relieve the Yuen Long attack on July 21, demonstrated what political neutrality means."
"Rule No 1 for civil servants is not political neutrality but to defend the rule of law. If what the officials and the government do contravenes rule of law, civil servants should speak up."
 


Defending the rule of law

Despite the medical rally in Edinburgh Place coming to an end, and a sudden rain storm forcing people to find shelter, hundreds remain, and as the rain stops some return to the stage.
At the rally in Chater Garden, protesters call for Hongkongers to join Monday's general strike.
“Reclaim Hong Kong. Revolution of our times,” they shout.
 


Still going strong

Those attending the rally start a "Lennon Wall" outside Chater Garden, where messages of support for protesters are posted. You can read about the recent phenomenon of Lennon Walls here.



Lennon Wall

Simon Wong, a middle-aged manager working in the private sector, is among the crowd.
Asked why he came, he tries hard to fight back tears.
"I am worried about the young protesters being charged. I want to support them, as well as civil servants who risked their future to organise the rally,” he says.
He criticises the government, saying it has tried to intimidate protesters by charging some with rioting, and warning civil servants not to express their views.
Among the five major demands, he believes the removal of riot classification is key.
“The rioting charges are too heavy for the young,”  he says.


'Rioting charges are too heavy for the young'

Organiser Ngan Mo-chau says he and others made the difficult decision to initiate the rally because "you can strip my identity as a civil servant, but you can't strip my identity as a Hongkonger". He adds: "Our future can be sacrificed but Hong Kong's future can't." 
Ngan says he and his peers were still reluctant the night before they submitted the application for the police's letter of no objection. "Should we do this? Will it help? But if we were not doing it now, we might never do it again in our lives," Ngan says. "This, after all, is what we ought to do."
Ngan announces the end of the rally at 9.17pm. The other organiser, Cheung Ka-po, tells the crowd to leave peacefully. "This is the best protection you can give to civil servants," he says.


Calling an end to rally

Rally organiser Ngan Mo-chau says they do not know how many people have come out to the rally, but says he is encouraged by the huge turnout. "It also echoed our rally theme which says civil servants should stand together with citizens," Ngan says.
He reiterates the rally does not contradict the principle of political neutrality. "We are providing a platform in our personal capacity to allow our colleagues and citizens to share their mind," Ngan says. "In our declaration, we also expressed our respect and recognition of adherence to political neutrality at work."
Singer and activist Denise Ho expresses appreciation for the organisers. “I thank you for your contribution and I hope no retaliation would be put forward by the government,” she says. The singer calls for more people to join Monday's strike. 
“Only prolonged strikes could put pressure to the government, but Monday could be a good start. The more people, the safer we are.”



A huge turnout

Leading public administration scholar John Burns – who is not at Chater Garden – says the rally is unprecedented, as the civil servants chose to come out and join discontent residents.
“This civil service rally is unprecedented and indicates that our political leaders have succeeded in fracturing a core institution of Hong Kong,” Burns says.
“Our political leaders demonstrate again their incompetence. The government has squandered the community’s good will.”


An unprecedented event

Over in Ma On Shan, in the east of the New Territories, about 200 protesters have gathered at the local police station, calling for the release of those arrested on Thursday, some of whom are being held there.
A group of two dozen police officers in riot gear walked through the area close to the station, to stop and ID people in a bid to find protesters, but had no luck
Hong Kong Indigenous, a localist party, had called for people to rally at 8pm, but it takes until about 9pm for supporters to emerge.

Photo by Edmond So


Meanwhile, in Ma On Shan

An organiser of a proposed march in Mong Kok on Saturday has won an appeal. Ng Wing-tak says he will accept an alternative route proposed by police, which bypasses the district's busiest areas. The march will start at Anchor Street Playground at 2pm on Saturday, and end at Cherry Street in Tai Kok Tsui.
Organisers had initially been told they could only hold a rally in the area, not a march.
The route will be longer than originally requested, and the protest time extended to 9pm instead of 7pm, Ng says. 
“We are not entirely happy with this new route. Our original objective was for the protest to reach the widest possible audience, but because we did not want to give police more precedent to object to future protests, we agreed to accept their alternative route,” he says.


Mong Kok march latest

More than 40,000 people joined the civil servants' rally in Chater Garden, organisers say.
They give no indication of how many of those people were civil servants, rather than sympathisers or general protesters, but say there were employees from 13 bureaus.


Turnout of 40,000 estimated

For the medical rally, the organiser say at the highest point 10,321 people attended the event. 
They have spent between HK$30,000 and HK$40,000 (US$3,800-$5,100) on holding this event, and would crowdfund to cover the costs. Extra money will be donated to the July 12 fund.


Crowdfunding

Protesters have escalated the rally opposite Ma On Shan Police Station.
Scores of people cross the four-lane highway which runs past it and start kicking the metal fence.
Some spray graffiti on the station wall, including profanities.

Photo by Danny Lee

The graffiti pictured above, on the left, reads: "Reclaim Hong Kong, revolution of our time."
Photo by Edmond So. 


Escalation in Ma On Shan

Sources say Andy Chan Ho-tin, founder of the banned Hong Kong National Party who was among eight people arrested on Thursday night, is still inside Ma On Shan Police Station.
Protesters are there to support Chan and the others, who were arrested when police seized a number of offensive weapons from a unit of an industrial building in Sha Tin.


Andy Chan watch

Protesters outside Ma On Shan Police Station have withdrawn back to their original starting point across the road. Police had sprung into action with a clearance operation involving a number of vans.


Protesters retreat

Police estimates for this evening's two rallies on Hong Kong Island are – as is often the case – below those of organisers.
The force says there were 13,000 people at the Chater Garden gathering at its peak. Organisers there put the turnout at 40,000 (though as this is a total, rather than peak, the figures are not directly comparable).
And for the Edinburgh Place rally by health care workers, the police estimate is 1,300 at the peak, compared with organisers' estimate of 10,000 total.
 


Police turnout estimates

In the past 10 minutes, the police vans around Ma On Shan Police Station have cleared.
The station is completely closed, its front door adorned with graffiti. Along with abuse for officers, such as messages calling them dogs, there are the Chinese characters for Remington – the brand of gun officers use to fire rubber bullets at protesters.

Photo: Su Xinqi


Calmer for now in Ma On Shan

Two angry residents are shouting at the police station, saying they never expected officers to open fire in a residential complex.
A man surnamed Chung, resident 30 years in Ma On Shan, says he encountered five shots of pepper ball – a capsule that emits a form of pepper spray into the air – at about 10.15pm as he walked from his home in Heng On to meet friends near Sunshine City.
"I didn't see any warning from the police and I witnessed at least five shots," he says. Chung wants to report the case at the police station, but it is closed. He says he will contact district councillor Mak Yun-pui to talk about it.

Mr Chung (right) wants to complain at the police station. Photo: Edmond So

Police during the clearance operation earlier. Photo: Edmond So


Reports of pepper balls used in Ma On Shan

Officers were also seen scuffling with residents of an apartment block directly opposite the police station, with some displeased at the officers entering a residential area.
Resident Alan Pong, 37, who lives opposite the police station, was unhappy.
“It's a suburban neighbourhood and they’re doing this opposite a police station. They don’t need to do that,” he says.
“I don’t feel safe, not now. Yes I live next to a police station, I should feel extra safe, but the police can just storm my front door. Despite the property management being there, they still came in.”
Moses To, 16, says he thinks the police are not there to protect the residents, but are “against” them now.
“I feel that we’re not safe living here. Although there is security here, they didn’t try to deny [police] access as far as I saw; to say it’s our private residence and you can’t access without our permission.”


Residents' upheaval

With the scene in Ma On Shan returning to a stand-off, we are ending our liveblog of this evening's events.
Be sure to follow the rest of our coverage of the recent political crisis in Hong Kong, such as this story on police warning of heightened violence at protests. 
You can find a full wrap of the day's events here.


Live | As it happened: After Hong Kong civil servants’ unprecedented rally, police station attacked in Ma On Shan

Protesters condemn government warning that its employees should maintain political neutrality or risk consequences Action comes as police report seven more arrests over Yuen Long station attack, and protesters win the right to march in Mong Kok on Saturday

Protesters condemn government warning that its employees should maintain political neutrality or risk consequences

Action comes as police report seven more arrests over Yuen Long station attack, and protesters win the right to march in Mong Kok on Saturday