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Feature: Over 470,000 people in Hong Kong say "no" to violence

HONG KONG
2019-08-17 23:46

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新华社香港8月17日电 17日下午,逾47万香港市民会聚金钟添马公园参加"反暴力、救香港"集会,发出广大市民反对暴力,呼唤和平稳定的主流声音。

下午4时不到,添马公园附近的金钟地铁站便已出现人潮。下午5时左右,集会在国歌声中正式开始。尽管不时有阵雨,但也浇不灭参与者的热情。他们挥舞着国旗和区旗,手持"拒绝揽炒、齐救香港"的标语牌,身着"我爱警察"的文化衫,大声呼喊"反暴力、救香港""止暴制乱、恢复秩序"等口号。

集会首先播出一段视频,讲述了一名警嫂的心声。视频中,警嫂提到暴力示威者冲击警署、袭击警员等行为时数次哽咽,同时呼吁大家在此危难时刻支持警队、支持香港。看完视频,在场人士都大声呼喊"警队加油""救香港"等口号。

随后,社会各界人士上台发言,表达"乱够了、停暴力、勿扰民、止破坏、守法治、阻撕裂、返正轨"七大诉求。

全国人大常委会委员谭耀宗呼吁社会各界要坚决反对暴力。他说,国旗、国徽是国家尊严的标志,侮辱国旗、国徽的人是在与全国人民为敌。他又向警队致敬,对受伤警员表示慰问,并关心问候警队家属。

港区全国人大代表、全国人大常委会香港特区基本法委员会副主任谭惠珠表示,早前机场冲突是"全球最丑的暴乱",又强调要尊重别人自由,而自由并不包括肆意毁坏公物和阻碍市民乘车等。

港区全国人大代表、香港中小型律师行协会创会会长陈曼琪表示,要尊重法律、守护法律、敬畏法律,违法必须负刑责等是香港的核心价值,没有人可以凌驾法律,没有人可以损害其他人的权益,危害国家安全,破坏社会秩序和安宁。

香港教育工作者联会主席黄锦良表示,近两个月来,香港暴力事件愈演愈烈,他对年轻人使用武力、违法乱纪感到痛心,呼吁年轻人"停一停""想一想"。

6时左右,集会在《东方之珠》《狮子山下》等歌曲声中接近尾声,参与集会的人士高呼"香港加油""警察加油""拒绝暴力"等口号,久久不愿散场。
HONG KONG, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- "Anti-violence!", "Save Hong Kong!" Over 470,000 people gathered on Saturday in a rally held at Tamar Park, Admiralty of Hong Kong, to voice out their demand for peace and stability in Hong Kong.

At around 4 p.m. local time, the metro station near Tamar Park was swarming with people. An hour later, the rally started as the Chinese national anthem was ringing out.

Waving the Chinese national flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and holding signs written with slogans including "Stop Riots", "Anti-violence" and "Save Hong Kong", the crowd was enthusiastic and impassioned despite the rain. They chanted the slogans to express their views.

At the beginning of the rally, a video was played, featuring a recording of a policeman's wife who spoke, choking back sobs, of how violent protesters stormed the police stations and attacked the police. She appealed to the public to support the police and Hong Kong during this difficult time. "Police, keep it up!", "Save Hong Kong!" the crowd cried out at the end of the video.

Tam Yiu-chung, a member of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, called upon people from all walks of life to firmly oppose violence.

The national flag and emblem represent the dignity of the country, and those who insult the national flag and emblem are turning themselves into enemies of the people in the whole country, Tam added.

Rebuking the recent illegal assemblies and violent acts at Hong Kong International Airport as "the ugliest riot in the world", Maria Tam Wai-chu deputy director of the National People's Congress Standing Committee Basic Law Committee from Hong Kong, stressed that everyone should respect the freedoms of others and the exercise of freedom does not include wanton destruction of public properties or obstruction of public transport.

Wong Kam-leung, chairman of Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, said that the violence in Hong Kong has been escalating over the past two months and he was distressed to see young people using force and violating laws.

He called on the young people to "stop and think twice" before engaging in violent or illegal acts.

A 57-year-old gardener surnamed Chan said sometimes she could not go to work because radical demonstrators disrupted the traffic, "which was very annoying."

"Hong Kong has always been a peaceful society. I hope the extremist radicals stop violent acts so that people can return to peaceful life," she said.

A finance professional surnamed Lee said his business has been badly hit by the illegal demonstrations since many of his clients are too concerned to invest in Hong Kong.

"The common aspiration of the overwhelming majority of people in Hong Kong is that the violence and chaos will stop soon. Our community has been torn apart and can not afford any more of it," he said. "We urge the demonstrators and mobs to stop it immediately; otherwise, the whole community has to pay for the consequences."

A local resident, Wendy, a mother of a young boy, told the reporter that her life was largely affected by the violent protests going on in the recent two months.

"For the sake of our future generations and Hong Kong getting back on track, we refuse to be in silence, we must let the world hear our voice," she said firmly.

The assembly ended at around 6 p.m. local time, with the participants singing the chorus Below the Lion Rock, a famous song in Hong Kong that represents the spirit of unity and hard-working.

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