HKCTU strongly condemns the police crackdown of people’s protest by Hong Kong government
Calling all workers in Hong Kong to participate in a general strike on September 29
Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions(HKCTU) strongly condemns the police for their violent attack on unarmed students and people. We strongly condemn the government for suppressing the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly in Hong Kong. HKCTU calls for all workers in Hong Kong to strike tomorrow, in protest of the ruling of the National People’s Congress, as well as the brutal suppression of peaceful protest by the Hong Kong government. Workers and students must unite to force the totalitarian government to hand state power back to the people.
Since the peaceful assembly outside the Government Headquarter on September 26th, thousands of people join and support the assembly. The ever growing number of people maintained peace and order. Yet, the police attacked the protestors heavily with pepper spray, baton and riot squads armed with shields and helmets, while people who only had towels and umbrellas to protect themselves. In face of several rounds of suppression, protestors only raised their hands up without fighting back. In the evening of September 28th, the police furthered their attack with several rounds of tear gas. Many peaceful protestors were injured.
Workers must stand up against the unjust government and violent suppression. Workers must stand up, as the totalitarian government has to back down when all workers protest in solidarity. To defend democracy and justice, we cannot let the students fight the suppression alone.
HKCTU hereby announces and calls all workers to participate in a general strike tomorrow.
We demand:
1) Police must release the arrested protestors immediately. They must guarantee the basic human rights of the arrested protestors during retention.
2) The government and police must stop suppressing the peaceful assembly and apologize to the people.
3) National People’s Congress must withdraw the ‘fake universal suffrage’. The Hong Kong government must restart the consultation of political reform. Workers have been demanding a fair election system to rectify the longstanding problem of the business-leaning government. However, the ‘fake universal suffrage’ framework proposed by NPC is merely ‘old wine in a new bottle’.
4) Chief Executive Leung Chun Ying must step down to bear the responsibility of violent suppression of protest.
Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions
September 28th, 2014.