A protest aimed at raising awareness of police brutality in Hong Kong is scheduled to take place in Manchester city centre today.
The protest – which has been scheduled by Hong Kong natives living across Greater Manchester – is expected to begin today on Bank Holiday Monday in Piccadilly Gardens from 12pm to 4pm.
During the protest, it’s believed that the group will unfurl a 10-metre long piece of artwork and create a ‘Lennon Wall’ using the Piccadillly Gardens wall.
Lennon Walls have become a phenomenon in Hong Kong and can often be found buildings, walkways, sky bridges, underpasses and corner shop windows, with messages like “Hong Kongers love freedom,” “garbage government”, and “We demand real universal suffrage” written on them, and the Lennon Wall expected to be created today is said to be inspired by the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests in Hong Kong.
Demonstrators plan on covering the Piccadilly Gardens wall with handwritten Post-It notes in support of the protests.
Pixabay
Anti-government protests in Hong Kong erupted in 2019 following the proposal of an extradition bill which triggered the first protest in April.
The main focus of todays demonstration will be the Prince Edward Station incident – which took place exactly a year ago – where footage was released of Hong Kong police indiscriminately attacking passengers at the station during their arrest of suspected protesters.
A spokesperson for Manchester Hong Kong said: “Over the past year, we have witnessed our beloved city that we were born and raised in descend into unimaginable levels of chaos and division. A movement against the extradition bill has escalated into an explosion of pent-up frustration and deeply rooted dissatisfaction with the way that our city is governed.
“We are particularly alarmed by the police brutality seen since June 2019 [and] Hong Kong has seen excessive use of tear gas, shooting of rubber bullets and even live rounds at peaceful protesters.
“Reports and complaints of torture and abuse of those being arrested during detention abound. It is not only protesters who are in danger – journalists, politicians, and even first aid providers and firefighters have faced arbitrary harassment, assault, and arrest at peaceful rallies.
Wikimedia Commons
They continued: “Video footage of the arrest and humiliation of humanitarian aid providers clearly demonstrated breaches of the rights of access to medical treatment. However the Hong Kong government continue to turn a blind eye to the police brutality, the selective law enforcement of the police and their double standards have caused injustice that snowballed into an unresolvable, collective mass of anger in the present.
“As a group of Hong Kongers living far away from home, we advocate for democracy and human rights in Hong Kong.”
News
18-21 year olds can now travel on Greater Manchester’s buses for half price
Emily Sergeant
18-21 year olds can now apply to travel on Greater Manchester’s bus network for half price, it has been announced.
The Bee Network says it is ‘continuing to lead the way’ when it comes to cutting the cost of public transport, with applications for half price unlimited bus travel for 18-21 year olds now open and around 150,000 young people in Greater Manchester set to benefit.
The new pass will ‘better connect’ young people to work, training, or education opportunities.
With the Greater Manchester economy found to be experiencing faster growth compared to the UK as a whole, and with making travel ‘easier, more affordable, and inclusive’ a critical part of the Bee Network’s success, Mayor Andy Burnham announced the half-price bus travel this week, alongside a raft of other improvements across the region.
Some of the other improvements the Mayor announced include more frequent buses, cheaper travel, and new round-the-clock services.
18-21 year olds can now travel on Greater Manchester’s buses for half price / Credit: TfGM
Young people can now buy a 28-day bus travelcard for just £40, which is half the price of adult fares and the equivalent of just £1.43 per day for unlimited travel on any Bee Network bus in Greater Manchester.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says the new half-price travel is aimed at helping the thousands of young people once their 16-18 ‘Our Pass’ expires, and will support them as they move into further education or the world of work.
“Young people in Greater Manchester have been calling out for an affordable transport option for when their Our Pass expires and this new pass will give them that,” commented Fran Wilkinson, who is the Director for Customer and Growth at TfGM.
The new 18-21 Bee Bus ticket is here! 🙌
Enjoy 28 day’s of unlimited travel on #BeeNetwork buses for just £40. 🚌
Buy yours now on the Bee Network app with an 18-21 Pass ID.
“We know this is such an important time in a young person’s life as they look to go into further education or enter the world of work.
“Now as they explore the many opportunities available to them they will be able to use any Bee Network bus as much as they need to at half the price.”
Fatima Bangoura, who is the Youth Engagement Officer at Youth Leads, added: “The new 18-21 pass opens doors for those who may worry about losing that support once their Our Pass ends, making travel for training, apprenticeships, education and employment far more accessible.”
Digitalapplications for the new 18-21 Pass are now open via the Bee Network app, and you can download the app here.
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Met Office issues yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued across Greater Manchester for this week, with some disruption expected.
Nothing says the start of the ‘ber months’ quite like a heavy downpour and some thunderstorms, right? September is here and the summer seems to be long gone, as the Met Office has now issued a series of yellow weather warnings across the UK – including a thunderstorms warning for Greater Manchester and much of the north west.
The Met Office‘s website states that an area of ‘heavy showers and thunderstorms’ is expected, and that this may even cause some localised flooding.
“We’re expecting a band of heavy rain and strong winds to move northeast, followed by heavy showers and the risk of thunderstorms,” commented Rebekah Hicks, who is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office.
She explained that as showers progress north-eastward, they will become ‘temporarily slow-moving’, which will lead to an increased chance of surface water flooding.
A thunderstorm warning is in force this morning for parts of England and Wales ⚠️
While the vast majority of places will have ‘non-impactful’ rain, a few places within the North West could see 30-60mm in an hour.
Hail and lightning will also be additional, as will possibly-locally impactful hazards.
Northern residents are being told to expect difficult driving conditions and some road closures, and where any flooding or lightning strikes should occur, there is also a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.
There’s also a slight chance that power cuts could occur, and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in Greater Manchester / Credit: Johannes Plenio (via Unsplash)
On top of all that, the Met Office says there is a ‘small chance’ that some homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail, or strong winds – although this is expected to be unlikely.
As Friday, southern areas will begin to see more settled conditions, but unfortunately, it’s a different story for the north.
Here in the North West, it will remain wet and windy for much of the day and weekend.
The Manc -
31st August 2020 
