Support for demands of HK protesters rises despite rally hiatus

HONG KONG • Support for the demands of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong has grown even as rallies have paused due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a survey conducted for Reuters.

Calls for the resignation of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam were supported by 63 per cent of respondents in the poll, conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute between March 17 and 20, versus 57 per cent in a poll it conducted in December.

Supporters of the protests outnumbered opponents by a ratio of roughly two to one, with 28 per cent against them compared with 30 per cent in the December poll, and 58 per cent supporting them, versus 59 per cent previously.

The recent poll showed a significant increase in the levels of support for key demands of the often-violent demonstrations which rattled the city for most of last year and into early January before the coronavirus crisis.

The anti-government protests were sparked last June by a Bill, since withdrawn, that would have allowed extraditions of defendants to mainland China, and later morphed into a movement for greater democracy in the Chinese-ruled city.

Many protesters said Beijing has used its authority under the "one country, two systems" formula, agreed when Britain handed over the city to China in 1997, to undermine freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong that are unavailable in the mainland.

"It is understandable that protesters resort to extreme means," said Mr Patrick Yeung, a 32-year-old IT worker who responded to the survey. "I hope Beijing can meddle less in Hong Kong's affairs, which could actually stabilise the city and curb people's anger."

Beijing denies meddling in Hong Kong and blames the West for fomenting unrest.

Mrs Lam's office and China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, which comes under the State Council or Cabinet, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Support for universal suffrage in Hong Kong, a core demand of protesters aimed at strengthening the territory's level of autonomy, rose to 68 per cent from 60 per cent in December.

Opposition to the demands of the protesters has remained virtually unchanged at 15 per cent.

"The government should investigate the culprits behind the political crisis and not accede to other demands from the protesters," said another respondent Ming Hon, an unemployed 49-year-old who moved to Hong Kong from mainland China recently and had jobs in cleaning and construction.

For the poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points, 1,001 respondents were randomly surveyed by telephone in Cantonese, which is spoken by the vast majority of people in Hong Kong. The results were weighted according to the latest population figures.

Following a large rally on New Year's Day, in which some protesters clashed with police, crowds on the streets have dropped from many thousands to a few hundred as Hong Kongers adopted social distancing to fight the coronavirus.

Some recent protests have focused on the government's decision not to fully close the border with mainland China, where the virus is believed to have originated. The city administration has since banned all tourist arrivals.

Although Hong Kong has won praise for limiting the outbreak to roughly 450 cases and four deaths, the survey showed a widespread lack of confidence in the government's measures, with 54 per cent expressing distrust and 33 per cent giving the thumbs up.

REUTERS