Solidarity action with Hong Kong WTO defendants
Wednesday, 11 January 2006.
On Wednesday 11 January,
members of Socialist Students and Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna (CWI
Sweden) gathered outside Air China’s office in Stockholm.
Ulrika Waaranperä, CWI Sweden.
The action was in solidarity with the 14 political prisoners, arrested by Hong Kong authorities during the WTO-demonstrations in late December. Twelve of these had undertaken a hunger strike in order to show the absurdity of the charges against them. They were facing up to three years in prison due to taking part in a demonstration against WTO, one of the most powerful and undemocratic institutions in the world.
The Air China office was chosen because targeting the Chinese regime’s economic interests has proven a more effective way to put pressure on them, than the normal diplomatic channels. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. As the national flag carrier and a public company, Air China represents the Chinese authorities.
Erik Dalén, who took part in the Hong Kong WTO demonstrations, addressed passers by about the situation in Hong Kong. He and a group of protesters also took the opportunity to explain the reasons for the action to the office staff at Air China. The manifestation ended with that a letter of protest was handed over to the Chinese embassy in Stockholm.
Police case crumbles
During the day, it was reported that charges were dropped against eleven of the fourteen accused at the trial in Hong Kong. So far, the people who were present in Hong Kong have told the same story, namely that the police were responsible for the only real violence.
”Hong Kong is a dictatorship. Just a few days before the WTO protest, a quarter million people demonstrated for the right to vote,” explained Erik Dalén. ”The police used excessive force in order to show who’s in charge and prevent the militant struggle against the WTO and capitalist globalisation influencing Hong Kong’s – and China’s – pro-democracy movement.”
”The verdict of the court bears out what we have said, the case against the arrestees looks more and more like a desperate attempt by the Hong Kong police force to justify its own outrageous attack on the anti-WTO demonstration on 17 December,” he said.
Ulrika Waaranperä, CWI Sweden.
The action was in solidarity with the 14 political prisoners, arrested by Hong Kong authorities during the WTO-demonstrations in late December. Twelve of these had undertaken a hunger strike in order to show the absurdity of the charges against them. They were facing up to three years in prison due to taking part in a demonstration against WTO, one of the most powerful and undemocratic institutions in the world.
The Air China office was chosen because targeting the Chinese regime’s economic interests has proven a more effective way to put pressure on them, than the normal diplomatic channels. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. As the national flag carrier and a public company, Air China represents the Chinese authorities.
Erik Dalén, who took part in the Hong Kong WTO demonstrations, addressed passers by about the situation in Hong Kong. He and a group of protesters also took the opportunity to explain the reasons for the action to the office staff at Air China. The manifestation ended with that a letter of protest was handed over to the Chinese embassy in Stockholm.
Police case crumbles
During the day, it was reported that charges were dropped against eleven of the fourteen accused at the trial in Hong Kong. So far, the people who were present in Hong Kong have told the same story, namely that the police were responsible for the only real violence.
”Hong Kong is a dictatorship. Just a few days before the WTO protest, a quarter million people demonstrated for the right to vote,” explained Erik Dalén. ”The police used excessive force in order to show who’s in charge and prevent the militant struggle against the WTO and capitalist globalisation influencing Hong Kong’s – and China’s – pro-democracy movement.”
”The verdict of the court bears out what we have said, the case against the arrestees looks more and more like a desperate attempt by the Hong Kong police force to justify its own outrageous attack on the anti-WTO demonstration on 17 December,” he said.
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