April 5th Action
June 28, 1997

Over 150 years ago, when the Chinese people resisted British merchants' peddling of opium in China, the British imperialist government used "free trade" as a pretext to invade China, forcing the Manchu government to cede Hong Kong to Britain. Since then, the British colonialists have established an authoritarian regime in Hong Kong, oppressing and exploiting Hong Kong's Chinese. After 1949, in co-ordination with American-led Western imperialism's encirclement of China, the British colonial government stepped up its persistent efforts to obliterate Hong Kong people's national identification and manufacture a "Hongkonger" identity, by means of measures such as closing down certain schools, amending education legislation to suppress students from getting to know about contemporary Chinese affairs, etc. When talks over Hong Kong's future began, the British imperialist government even claimed the three unequal treaties to be legitimate, intending to possess Hong Kong forever.

As is well-known, Hong Kong's economy has always been reliant on China. Confining ourselves to the post World War II period, Hong Kong's industrial take-off in the 50s resulted from a combination of the huge influx of capital from mainland China, which accounted for 67% of Hong Kong's total investment from 1947-1955, and of the developing shift in the international division of labour. The transition from a newly-industrialized area to a "prosperous society" since the 80s has, of course, been dependent upon China's reform and opening up policy. In a nutshell, without the China factor, Hong Kong's economic success would have been impossible. However, the British colonialists dare to shamelessly claim credit for it! Let them show us another British colony with comparable economic development!

Far from it, instead of being responsible for Hong Kong's economic development, the British colonialists have always exerted their utmost to exploit Hong Kong people. In the past several decades, it has maintained the "three high" policies, aiding and abetting overseas and local Chinese conglomerates to engage in super-profiteering, reaping for themselves the fruits of Hong Kong's labouring population.

To safeguard the interests of British and other overseas and local Chinese capital, the British colonial government has ruled Hong Kong by might, never hesitating to engage in bloody suppression of the people's resistance where and when it found necessary:

*During the seamen's strike in 1922, British forces in Hong Kong opened fire on strikers, killing 6 and wounding several hundred.

* The Guangdong-Hong Kong strike of 1925-27 was catalyzed by the British colonialists' suppression of Hong Kong people supporting the anti-British imperialism struggle in Shanghai.

* In 1925, British forces in Guangzhou canon-fired upon anti-imperialist striking workers in Guanghou, killing and wounding over 200 in what has become known as the "Shaji incident".

* In 1948, the colonial police opened fire on demonstrating squatters in Kowloon walled City, wounding over 10.

* During the 50s, the colonial regime closed down three media organizations, including Da Gong Bao.

* In suppressing the anti-price increase struggled in 1966, the colonial regime arrested many people, and an expatriate colonial police officer shot dead one demonstrator.

* In 1967, the colonial police suppressed demonstrating workers by force, and engaged in widespread arrest, maiming and killing of demonstrators in the "anti-British and resist-violence" struggle.

* In 1971, the colonial police bloodily suppressed a "Defend Diaoyutai" assembly in Victoria Park l In 1978, the colonial regime closed down Golden Jubilee Secondary School at which teachers and students were engaged in struggle against the school authorities' corrupt practices.

* In 1979, the colonial police made use of the draconian Public Order Ordinance to arrest and prosecute demonstrators from the Revolutionary Marxist League, social workers and boat people fighting for resettlement, and residents of Caiyuan Village.

* In 1989, the colonial police violently suppressed a demonstration by April 5th Action, severely injuring four demonstrators and arresting 7 people in the process; since then the colonial police has prosecuted demonstrators supporting the people's struggle in China and local movements on numerous occasions.

The brutal colonial Public Order Ordinance is still with us, and is to be taken over by the Special Administrative Region Government - what right does the British colonialists have to call itself a "defender of freedom"? When asked about the Opium War, Chris Patten shamelessly replied: "The point about knowing history is to forget it." While the British Foreign Minister shamelessly said: "The Labour government is not responsible for what happened over 150 years ago," we solemnly tell Chris Patten and the British imperialists: the Opium War is just one incident among the countless crimes British imperialism has committed against the Chinese people, and that just as we do not forget about 1976's Tiananmen incident and 1989's June 4th incident, we also do not forget about the bloody crimes of the British imperialists/colonialists in China and Hong Kong. THE SAME AS THE CCP REGIME, THE HANDS OF THE BRITISH COLONIAL GOVERNEMENT DROP WITH THE PEOPLE'S BLOOD!

The colonial government has always held fast to state power in Hong Kong; it has also collusively allowed political representatives of local Chinese capital to play the role of a junior partner in the Executive and Legislative Councils. Before 1984, Hong Kong people had been entirely robbed of their right to elections. Since the start of the Sino-British negotiations over Hong Kong, in order to better protect British imperialist interests in Hong Kong after 1997, the British colonialists then, and only then, began to gradually open up Legco. However, in opening up Legco, the British colonial government had maintained its absolute control over Exco. On the other hand, partly because of the British government's need to engage in a huckster's bargain with the CCP regime, and even more importantly, because of the colonial government's need to maintain effective rule so as to control its decolonalisation plans and moves, the colonial government has severely restricted the progress of the opening up of Legco. Hence, just as Hong Kong people do not have to thank Britain for Hong Kong's economic development, we do not have to thank Britain for the partial opening up of Legco. On the contrary, we resolutely condemn the hypocrisy of the British for severely limiting the opening up of the state structure as a whole!

Therefore, though we strongly condemn the CCP bureaucratic regime for refusing to open up Hong Kong's entire state structure in its resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong, we harbour absolutely no longing for colonial rule. Quite the opposite. As long as Hong Kong people are sandwiched between the Chinese and British governments, it would be very difficult for them to mobilize for bringing power back to the people. Hence we gladly shout: BRITISH COLONIALISTS GO TO HELL! Only then will there be a better prospect of Hong Kong people fighting for a China and Hong Kong that belong to the People.

BRITISH COLONIALISTS GO TO HELL!

BRITISH IMPERIALISTS, APOLOGISE FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAINST THE CHINESE PEOPLE!

LONG LIVE THE SOLIDARITY OF THE CHINESE PEOPLE!

RESUME SOVEREIGNTY, ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

ELECTION BY UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE FOR EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE ORGANS!