Sun Yat-sen and his revolutionary comrades discussed the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty in the Red Mansion in Hong Kong, and the Red Mansion in Castle Peak has been a historical site to commemorate the Double Ten Festival.
This year, the entrance to the Sun Yat-sen Monument Square in Tuen Mun’s Sun Yat-sen Park, where the flag-raising ceremony used to be held every year, was blocked, and some citizens tried to enter the square, but were blocked by the security guards present. Yuen Long District Council Vice Chairman Mak Yip-shing joined members of the public in the park at 11:00 a.m. on October 10 to watch the National Day Rally of the Republic of China held in Taiwan on their cell phones, and sang songs such as “Ode to the Chinese People” and “Plum Blossom”. At least four police cars were stationed outside the park, and about 20 plain-clothed police officers inspected the area during the online ceremony and stopped people leaving at the exit.
According to Standpoint News, at about 10:00 a.m., a small number of citizens arrived for the ceremony only to find that they could not enter the park. Some citizens tried to break through the security line by insisting that part of the site belonged to the government, but the security guard pulled them out at one point and a physical confrontation broke out.
Mr. Song, who has participated in the flag-raising ceremony at Castle Peak Red Mansion (now Sun Yat-sen Park) every year for the past 20 years and is in his 60s this year, lamented that the government did not allow the citizens to express their opinions, and at one point choked up, “History records that Dr. Sun Yat-sen planned the 1911 Revolution here. “We are not rebelling, we want to maintain our freedom of thought, is it wrong for us to commemorate history?” He hoped that the owner of the site and the government would respect the history and the voice of the public, and allow them to continue to hold the Double Ten Flag Raising Ceremony in the future.
Tuen Mun District Councilor Mak Yip-shing revealed that the Red Mansion and Monument Square were acquired a few years ago, and this year the police may have requested that the entrance be blocked to prevent the public from entering the site. He was disappointed and saddened by the failure to raise the flag at the plaza, and criticized the authorities for using “military means” to intimidate the public. He also pointed out that this was the first year that he watched the flag-raising ceremony online, and he did not call on the public to participate because he knew the police were there. He said that Sun Yat-sen instigated the Xinhai Revolution to overthrow the monarchy and free the people from hard labor, but the current government, on the contrary, intends to exploit the people, which is why it is so sensitive to the Double Ten celebrations.
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