On the evening of Monday, 1 July, the European External Action Service spokeswoman called for restraint in Hong Kong when some demonstrators attempted to force their way onto the Legislative Council’s premises.
The date 1 July is the anniversary of the retrocession of the former British colony to China in 1997.
“In the wake of these latest incidents, it is all the more important to exercise restraint, avoiding escalatory responses, and to engage in dialogue and consultation to find a way forward”, the spokeswoman emphasised in a statement.
In her statement, the spokesperson reiterated that on several occasions these past three weeks, the populace has taken to the streets in “unprecedented” numbers, “peacefully exercising their fundamental right to assemble and to protest”. Thus, in her opinion, the attempt to force their way into the Legislative Council’s premises is not “representative of the vast majority of demonstrators, who have been peaceful throughout successive protests”.
Hong Kong residents have been protesting for several weeks against a bill allowing extraditions to China (see EUROPE 12274/21). While the authorities have suspended consideration of the text, demonstrators want the project to be abandoned. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)