The end of Occupy Central, Hong Kong

This was a live blog following the countdown to the initial 9pm deadline on August 27 to vacate the HSBC building’s walkthrough. Despite receiving a reprieve–likely a few days–the activists and homeless residents of Occupy Central (占领中环) in Hong Kong still stand to lose a venue that has been many things to many people over its ten-month lifespan: a public platform for political change, a shelter for the homeless, a community center, an eyesore.

Read from the bottom up to follow Danwei’s live coverage of the coda to the longest-lived Occupy encampment in Asia.

(For a more in-depth look see our recent feature, Six Days in Occupy Central, Hong Kong.)

Final update
As many news organizations are now reporting–and as can be seen below–the activists have declined to vacate the HSBC plaza by the 9pm deadline. The legal procedures necessary for HSBC to procure a writ of possession have granted the camp a temporary reprieve, though its time left till eviction can now likely be counted in days if one bank representative’s estimate is accurate. Despite announcing they would cease interviews with the mainstream media the activists have drawn substantial attention from press local and foreign, including write-ups at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal’s China Real Time Report.

11:25pm
Bloomberg Businessweek clears up the scene and schedule for eviction somewhat in its latest update:

Occupy Central protesters in Hong Kong defied a 9 p.m. deadline today to leave HSBC Holdings Plc (5)’s Asian headquarters where they have spent more than 10 months demonstrating against income inequality.

Media outnumbered the few dozen protesters as cameramen crowded around a band whose music elicited head-banging and shouts from those remaining the makeshift camp. Security guards at the camp didn’t intervene.

If the Hong Kong protesters don’t leave, a writ of possession will be issued by the court, and executed by a bailiff, HSBC spokesman Gareth Hewett said in an e-mail today. Another HSBC spokesman, Brian Gilchrist, said the writ could be granted in a couple of days.

And with that a new countdown is set to begin.

10:50pm
Apparent first news of actual eviction in the plaza comes from CharismaticSue via Sina Weibo:

Beneath the building Occupy Central is being cleared; an overtime worker says: if I was ten years younger I reckon I’d be this sad too.

9:50pm
User 乔治Li further details the ongoing concert with a new picture and musical genre:

A band in the crowd is now playing heavy metal, people in the plaza are all very excited, they seem to be watching to see how [authorities] will deal with Occupy Central.

9:20pm
Weibo user ILoveUAT_Karen gives her impressions of the festivities (translation):

“Today is Occupy Central’s deadline to clear the plaza; they’re having a rock concert beneath the building. I can’t tell what they’re singing, or what they’re fighting for, so what is it that has touched me? Nostalgia for my youth? Haha.”

Meanwhile user 乔治Li shares a picture that shows just how much coverage Occupy Central is getting, and asks “Can Occupy Central end tonight?”

9pm
The first articles on the night’s concert are being published, with a report from Commercial Radio Hong Kong estimating over 100 supporters in attendance, along with observers and journalists. According to the report immediately clearing the plaza seems impractical for the time being, with participants saying they will not leave of their own free will as HSBC requests a writ of possession from the court, after which it has said it will work with a bailiff to evict occupants.

8:50pm
Reuters provides in-camp pictures of iPad use and an illustrated occupant, while Weibo user hi_何20 gives us a glimpse of the concert in progress.

8:30pm
More photos from the past hour in Central, courtesy Sina Weibo users 但行好事莫問前程的Panda_FDUblueseasky007 and 薄扶林道拉爾夫.

7:40pm
The Liberty Times has a report up from Taiwan’s Central News Agency echoing earlier claims by InfocastFN that the activists plan to move their base of operations across Queen’s Road to the plaza in front of the Legislative Counsel Building. The Agency report attributes the plan separately to two unnamed activists (rather than an unspecified number, as did InfocastFN):

One activist said they planned to move their base of operations to a new spot [by] the Legislative Council Building and continue fighting for public support.

Another member said, in deference to the court decision, after 9pm this evening they would take their own two tents and personal effects and move them to a new demonstration spot [near] the Legislative Council Building, continuing the fight from a new base of operations.

Activist Huang Yanren (黃衍仁) said earlier that 20 members would continue to stay [in camp] and that if they end up being forcibly taken away they would not offer fierce resistance, but would return.

7pm
With two hours till deadline the concert is scheduled to start. Sina Weibo user migao_michael posts a photoof video cameras in camp and asks: “Could it be curtains tonight for the Occupy Central campaign?”

6:50pm
newsflash from Radio Television Hong Kong relays the latest (translation):

The High Court ruled earlier that HSBC has the right to take back the plaza, and that those participating in Occupy Central must leave before 9pm. Right here over 20 people are saying they won’t leave, and there will be a concert at 7pm. HSBC has said in a statement that it hopes the occupiers will respect the court ruling.

4:30pm
Bloomberg Businessweek has a new piece up on today’s deadline that places Occupy Central in the context of other already evicted Occupy movements and provides comments from HSBC’s spokesman on how things will play out in the event of resistance:

The demonstrators should leave before 9 p.m., according to an order given by Hong Kong’s Court of First Instance on Aug. 13. If they don’t comply, a writ of possession will be issued by the court, and executed by a bailiff, HSBC spokesman Gareth Hewett said in an e-mail today.

“HSBC will work in consultation with the court bailiff to agree the timing and terms of the execution of the writ of possession,” Hewett said. “No eviction will take place on the plaza until the writ of possession is in place.”

The activist interviewed for the piece–a teacher who Bloomberg says has participated in the protest since June–does not mention any possible plans to migrate across the street and set up camp in front of the Legislative Council Building. She does say the protest will remain peaceful and that there “will not be violence.”

3:30pm
Unnamed Occupy Central activists have apparently revealed to InfocastFN that they will migrate from the HSBC plaza to a spot outside the nearby Legislative Council Building following tonight’s 9pm deadline. Meanwhile, Hong Kong English daily The Standard has a short piece on Occupy Central up featuring an interview with Alan Chiu, a former systems analyst:

Chiu said he has no idea what the Occupy Central movement will do once the clearing-out operation begins, though members are planning a final concert.

“I don’t have any idea at this moment,” he said. “We will see what happens as I have no choice.”

Chiu also appeared in Danwei’s own feature on Occupy Central.

1:30pm
The conversation on Sina Weibo remains light but apparently uncensored and includes basic summaries of the camp’s history and questions as to whether people care about Occupy anymore. User stanleyhuangyc published the latest photos of the camp to Sina Weibo, while Minicityscape gave a critical take on the camp (tranlsated):

Occupy Central will be cleared out today, and I just want to say, on the activity so far, every two weeks on average I went by HSBC plaza to check things out, entering their place for a look. Each time I only saw one or two people, or none. I did this many times, and even if I made eye contact to ask questions no one paid attention to me–to say nothing of giving me an introduction to their ideology. Young people, go home like good little kids; it’s all society’s fault, okay.

12pm
Sina Weibo search for Occupy Central (占领中环/佔領中環) remains unblocked. Last night Occupy Central activists published a new Facebook album (Occupy Life in Central) featuring themselves, along with a few residents of the camp.

Recap of recent events
On August 23 the group announced an anti-eviction concert event slated for 7 p.m. on August 27 over Facebook with the slogan “For the commons, break the cauldrons and sink the boats.” (據為公有 破釜沉舟) The first half of the slogan refers to the Activists’ view of the camp as a non-capitalist commons in which possession is rendered meaningless and everything is available for common use. The second half refers to an idiom whose meaning is essentially to cut off one’s means of retreat. The event currently has 183 confirmed attendees.

Earlier on August 15 the group released a statement saying it would no longer conduct interviews with the mainstream media:

Thus, we would like to formally declare that we will not be accepting any requests for interviews besides those from media sources that we trust. We will take on the responsibility of covering the goings-on of Occupy Central ourselves. If you remain interested in covering this movement, you should realize that we cannot possibly distill what this movement is ‘about’ into a quote.

Previous media coverage of Occupy Central:
Occupy Central Hong Kong Protesters Enter Their Second Day
Hong Kong: Why Occupy Central?
Hong Kong court approves ‘Occupy’ eviction
Hong Kong: Occupy Activists To Be Evicted

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