Calls for a protest on August 19 against the conduct of the Hong Kong police in the on-going protests in the neighbouring SAR were shared today by local netizens on social media.
A poster shared on WeChat and Facebook called for residents to gather at the Senate Square at 8:00pm of August 19 in support to residents in Hong Kong, with no indication of any organisation being behind the initiative.
Hong Kong has seen almost ten weeks of uninterrupted and increasingly violent clashes between police and pro-democracy protesters, angered by a perceived erosion of freedoms in the city, with demonstrators and riot police clashing at Hong Kong’s airport late on Tuesday after flights were cancelled for a second consecutive day.
The poster shared by local netizens emphasizes that the demonstration is ‘legitimate, rational and peaceful’ and expresses its opposition to the use of violence by the Hong Kong police against the public.
Meanwhile, the New Macau Association (NMA) issued a statement to clarify that the gathering is neither organized by the association or by legislator Sulu Sou.
Still, the association stated that Macau residents have the right to legally express their claims through gatherings and demonstrations and that such activities need only to notify the police in advance, and are respected and guaranteed according to the Macau law.
When contacted by MNA the Public Security Police Force (CPSP) stated that it has received a written notification at 3:30pm today asking the department for permission to hold the gathering.
‘The department responsible for handling assemblies and demonstrations is still examining if the assembly is legal and has not replied the initiator,’ the police told MNA.
[Updated to include the response from police]
