This archive report was first published on 6 August 2019.
On August 5, 2019, Hong Kong was plunged into chaos as a general strike brought the city to a near-halt. The strike, which saw hundreds of thousands of people join in, was a response to weeks of protests led by teenagers and young adults.
Janice Lau, a 38-year-old teacher, was among those who took to the streets with her 6-year-old daughter, Zoe. 'I'm proud of them,' she said. 'Society forced them to do this, and they didn't harm the society. These days, people are more afraid when the police appear than when protesters appear.'
Businesses also closed their doors, with the Hong Kong Jockey Club stopping off-site betting facilities due to safety concerns. Luxury malls like Pacific Place in Admiralty and Lee Gardens in Causeway Bay were also affected, with many shops shutting down.
Chinese state media outlets, including The People's Daily, criticized the protesters, accusing them of wanting to end the 'one country, two systems' arrangement between Hong Kong and Beijing. The incident, in which a Chinese flag was thrown into the harbor, was also mentioned by Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
As protests continued to target police stations, officers became more aggressive in making arrests. However, this increased assertiveness risked further inflaming public sentiment, with at least one protest driven by anger over an earlier arrest.
'We're kind of on a knife's edge here,' said Mr. Dapiran. 'Open disrespect for the police, police stations being targeted. We are on the cusp of what could be a general breakdown of law and order.'
