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A protest against police brutality in Hong Kong is taking place in Piccadilly Gardens today

The protest has been scheduled by Hong Kong natives living across Greater Manchester.

The Manc The Manc - 31st August 2020
Piccadilly Gardens

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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The viral factory in Oldham that sells £2 Colin the Caterpillar cakes

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

A factory in Oldham has gone viral online after sweet fiends discover they sell ‘Colin the Caterpillar’ cakes for less than half price.

There are some things that just go hand in hand: a brew and a biscuit, peanut butter and jelly and Brits and their crazy obsession with a character chocolate cake from M&S called Colin the Caterpillar.

Since hitting the shelves in 1990, more than 15 million Colin the Caterpillars have made their way from supermarket shop floor to our sweet-treat-awaiting plates.

Who would’ve ever guessed that the home to this cheeky chappy, who M&S have made their unofficial mascot (after Percy Pig, of course), has been crafted and created right here in Oldham?

park cakes oldham greater manchester
The utterly delicious Colin the Caterpillar cake which you can get for £2 at Park Cakes.
The shelves at Park Cakes will also be stacked with Colin and Connie The Caterpillar delights.
The shelves at Park Cakes are stacked with Colins and Connies.
Credit: The Manc Eats

Established in 1937, The Park Cake Bakeries – or just Park Cakes, colloquially – has been serving up this critter-inspired cake for over 30 years, and savvy shoppers have flocked to their factory shop to get their hands on some very sweet savings.

There’s a whole range of cakes on offer at this Oldham dessert factory shop, including slabs, sponges, loaves and even sweet pies too.

Whether you’re a firm believer that the birthday person deserves all of Colin’s white-choc face or you precisely cut it up so everyone gets some, Park Cakes has the solution, selling bags of the character’s chocolatey face so you can have one all to yourself.

The cake isn’t the only thing that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth, as the prices will too. Colin the Caterpillar, who normally retails for just under a tenner, is sold for around £2 at this Oldham factory shop.

It’s always the ones that look unassuming, isn’t it?

where is park cake bakeries cheap colin caterpillars m&s outlet
Credit: Google Earth/The Park Cake Bakeries (via Facebook)

Alongside producing one of the most adored cakes in the UK, they’re also responsible for lots more of your favourite supermarket sweet treats, and we’re definitely not complaining.

You can let your sweet tooth go wild in this factory shop as they sell everything from rainbow birthday cakes to sticky toffee puddings.

There’s so much on offer too, how about a giant bag packed to the brim with misshapen golden flapjacks that’ll last you over a week and cost you less than a fiver? Sounds like a plan to me.

If you haven’t had enough of your Easter chocolate fix, why not trek over to Oldham and stock up on even more chocolate and sweet treats? Trust us, there’s plenty to choose from.

Park Cakes factory shop can be found on Ashton Road in Oldham and is open from 10am-4pm, so go and grab yourself a seriously sweet deal before everyone else beats you to it.

Mini Colins, small in size but still packed with all that chocolatey goodness.
Mini Colins, small in size but still packed with all that chocolatey goodness.
Flapjacks and cookie dough bites are just some of the wonderful treats you might be able to get hold of.
Flapjacks and cookie dough bites are just some of the wonderful treats you might be able to get hold of.
Credit: The Manc

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Adam Higgin (via Facebook)

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The ‘headphone dodger’ proposal that could see people who play loud music on public transport fined

Danny Jones Danny Jones No headphones policy fine Lib Dems proposal

A group of politicians are calling for people who play music and videos out loud on public transport to be fined, and not just a small fee, either. How about a grand?…

Yes, a new idea floated by members of the Liberal Democrats would see so-called ‘headphone dodgers’ hit with a penalty of a whopping penalty of up to £1,000.

The term was used by the leader of the party, Sir Ed Davey, who believes the policy should be written into law as part of a continued crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

Obviously, the idea would need government backing in order to make it through as an official bill, but it seems several Labour and Conservative MPs agree, and the suggestion alone already has caused plenty of online discussion.

Sparking quite the water-cooler conversation too, the proposal is something that clearly taps into a fairly common nuisance among the general public and one that has increased in the era of smartphones, tablets and so on.

While it’s definitely something people can relate to, and the highly reactionary idea of charging them such a large sum of money, many on social media have noted that while the concept is one they can get behind, the figure seems excessive to most.

The no-headphone fine would apply to those playing music and video out loud on buses, trains and trams at what would generally be considered an obnoxious volume; if given the green light, this rule would be included in the railway byelaws and the current ‘Bus Services Bill‘ amended.

It has been suggested that a potential national campaign deterring this kind of behaviour would follow, with the party arguing plainly that commuters deserve to “enjoy a moment of peace.”

A similar policy has emerged regarding drivers as well.

Motorists can be fined £1,000 for blasting music with swear words while driving

This push from the Lib Dems comes after they commissioned a poll which found that “more than half of Brits said they would not feel empowered to ask somebody to turn down their music” while on board public transport, with over a third confessing they’ve come across the issue before.

Lisa Smart, the party’s home affairs spokesman, said: “Far too many people dread their daily commute because of the blight of antisocial behaviour — and headphone dodgers playing loud music on buses and trains are some of the worst offenders.”

She went on to add, “It’s time to take a stand for the quiet majority who just want to get from A to B in peace.” It is believed that both politicians in power and members of the opposition have already expressed support for the idea, even if specifics like the severity of the fine are up for debate.

What do you make of it?

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Featured Images — Cottonbro Studio (via Pexels)

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