The Media in Mainland China Block Reports of Large-Scale Protests in Hong Kong

July 3 report: According to a Free Asia report of July 2, on July 1, nearly 500,000 people paraded through the streets of Hong Kong to protest the Hong Kong government's looming implementation of Article 23 of the Basic Law, because of the restrictions and threats it will impose upon speech, organisation and religious activities in the future. This is another of the voluntary, large-scale protests Hong Kong people have staged to fight for democracy, the largest since 1 million people protested on June 4, 1989, following the Chinese government crackdown on the democracy movement at Tiananmen Square. Nevertheless, television stations, newspapers and other media outlets in Mainland China blocked this significant news and failed to report on it. The TV channels that usually report Hong Kong news in Guangdong Province were showing other programs, and the Chinese media reported only celebration activities held by the Hong Kong government.

A report by Xinhua News Agency stated that in order to celebrate with citizens the return of Hong Kong to the Chinese regime, the Hong Kong government spent 2 million Yuan to organise activities, including allowing free access to all government-owned gyms and recreation grounds July 1 and giving out 10,000 free movie tickets for use at any movie theatre. Also, over 1,000 restaurants and businesses donated gifts and provided free transportation services in an attempt to attract citizens to come out and celebrate. In the end, 1,000 people attended the free dinner feast.

Regarding the steadily growing number of protesters, Tung Chee-Hwa, head of Hong Kong SAR administration, delivered a public announcement claiming he understands the people's feelings. However, Ming Pao, a Hong Kong-based newspaper, insists the Hong Kong government appeals only to a minority and has underestimated the number of people who would protest. This shows that the elite of the Hong Kong government do not know the people's needs, and from Tung Chee-Hwa's announcement, it's obvious that he doesn't realise the severity of the facts and he hasn't effectively responded to the citizens' plea at all.