Meet the Anti-Occupy Groups Pushing to End the Protests in Hong Kong

On Saturday evening in Hong Kong, anti-Occupy protesters — the group that opposes the massive, ongoing demonstrations for democracy in the semi-autonomous Chinese region — gathered around a landmark clock tower by Victoria Harbor for a candlelight vigil.

To kick off the event, organizers replayed scenes of the clashes between police and protesters in one of the occupied sites on a large screen at full volume. A running line of slogans appeared on the top of the screen.

"Hong Kong Federation of Students does not represent us!"

"What will become of Hong Kong without the police?"

"The safety of our city depends on the righteous police!"

"Support the police's strict enforcements!"

"Clear the streets immediately!"

Three journalists were harassed and injured by a hostile crowd, and a female reporter was later taken to the hospital after being kicked and pushed to the ground. The crowd was conspicuously older than the pro-democracy encampment surrounding government headquarters across the harbor. The demonstrations there are about to enter their fourth week and have mostly been populated by students outraged over China's refusal to allow free and open elections.

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The three main organizers of the Saturday gathering called themselves the "Blue Ribbon Movement," the "Police Support Association," and the "Justice League." The theme, a promotional poster stated, was to send blessings to the police and express the people's voices in a peaceful and lawful assembly.

China's national flag billowed in the air, while protesters sporting blue ribbons — to counter the yellow ribbons worn by pro-democracy protesters — expressed their disapproval. Many were reluctant to reveal their full name to VICE News. Some who were willing to talk cited a distrust of the media in general, or concerns about being reproached on the internet.

Although many pro-democracy protesters have led grassroots campaigns to support and promote small and independent businesses, some Hong Kong residents have turned against the occupation for disrupting traffic and hurting businesses near the protest sites.

Commenting on the impact of blocking some of the city's main roads, Ms. Kam, an elderly woman who declined to provide her first name or age, told VICE News, "People's livelihood is at stake here. We need the police to strictly enforce the law."

"A society descends into chaos when people ignore court orders," Ms. Kam continued. "Are protesters going to occupy people's properties next? It's fine to protest, but the success of a regime doesn't come from causing chaos in people's lives."

Ms. Yuen, who also did not provide her first name or age, saw the pro-democracy occupation as a "threat" to society. "They claim to represent us, but we never recognized them," she said.

Last week, Hong Kong's High Court ordered protesters in two of the occupied areas to leave. Democracy activists have repeatedly explained that they are occupying the roads as a last resort after having exhausted all means of dialogue with the government.

"Students are committing acts that they clearly know are wrong in the name of pursuing their so-called ideals," exclaimed a woman into the loudspeaker.

"If they weren't breaking the law, there wouldn't be an anti-Occupy," said 61-year-old Chow Kam-chuen. "The Hong Kong Federation of Students is coming from a good place, but many protesters aren't here for the original intention. They are just here to challenge the law and make trouble."

Asked if he supports democracy or "public nomination" — the system sought by the Occupy movement, which would permit candidates who aren't vetted by Beijing to run for office — Chow told VICE News, "I don't know much about politics, but of course it's better to have a democracy."

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Some Hong Kong residents sympathize with the call for democratization, but cannot accept civil disobedience as a means to that end. The anti-Occupy protesters see civil disobedience as the origin of — not the solution to — a crisis.

"We just want harmony in a law-abiding society. The protesters themselves aren't democratic. Their demands need to follow procedures," said Mr. Lee, who didn't provide his first name. "Their tactics are dividing our society. If they knew anything about the history of the Chinese Communist Party, they would know that change doesn't come overnight."

Mr. and Mrs. Ma, a middle-aged couple who also declined to provide their first names, said they took to the streets for the first time after the court order failed to disperse the protesters.

"It doesn't matter what their demand is," Mr. Ma said. "What becomes of a society that ignores court orders? They break the law, and then ask the lawful to protect and make compromises to the unlawful. That's just barbaric. We protest in a public area and leave without affecting people's daily lives. They are too selfish, so we are coming out to get them off the streets."

Ms. Chan, 50, who refused to provide her first name, said she envisioned a lawless society as a legacy of the protests led by the young. "If we give them freedom, and our society goes down that road, how can we even manage our children?"

"Men and women are spending the nights in those tents — it's immoral," Chan said.

Across the harbor at the Occupy encampment near government headquarters, protesters of all ages — not just students — tried to explain why they had assembled.

"If the government was willing to talk earlier about democratic procedures, the occupations today might not have taken place," said 68-year-old Alfred Cheng. "The government's tactic was wrong. They are not being communicative by using tear gas, pepper spray and batons against peaceful protesters."

Cheng referenced Sun Yat-sen, a revolutionary who helped found the Republic of China after the collapse of the imperial dynasty, and said, "The fight has no age limits."

"We have already been fighting for this," he said. "It's tragic how long it has taken."

The anti-Occupy protesters have used the illegality of the street encampments as an argument against the demonstrations. Susan Cheng, 50, conceded that the Occupy movement, "is explicitly not legal," but said that distinction is not important and misses the point of civil disobedience.

"It's not helpful when we use these rhetorical tactics about what's legal and what's not," Cheng said. "If it was really chaotic, the movement wouldn't have been able to go on for almost a month."

Professor Michael Davis, who specializes in constitutional law and human rights at the University of Hong Kong, recently wrote, "Undermining the rule of law and breaking the law are two different things. Protesters engaged in civil disobedience may be breaking the law, but it is the governments at both levels that are undermining the rule of law."

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Another Occupy supporter named Mr. Lee, 58, told VICE News, "the most divisive figure right now is the government and Leung Chun-ying," the current chief executive of Hong Kong.

Recognizing that increasing polarization is detrimental to their movement, a representative from the Hong Kong Federation of Students told the crowd outside the government headquarters Saturday evening to step out of the occupied areas and use their creativity to bring outside observers into the movement.

Even though many moderates came out to support the movement after the police used violent tactics against unarmed protesters, some people on the fence were tipped to the other side. Mr. Ng, 67, a former police officer who did not provide his first name, believed moderates have been alienated by the democracy activists' "radical" demand for public nomination. "You can say we are conservative, but your generation is spoiled."

"These protesters want a foreign model, a democracy that meets international standards," Mr. Ng continued. "You guys like American democracy? Then I urge the Hong Kong police to learn from the Americans," alluding to recent cases of police brutality in the US.

Although the opposition has claimed that foreign forces are behind the pro-democracy movement, a notion that Occupy activists find insulting, Ms. Kam at the anti-Occupy gathering last night didn't mind so much.

"It doesn't matter who is chief executive. It's about what they do," she said, referencing a colonial governor of Hong Kong who created a commission to investigate corruption.

"[China's President] Xi Jinping is good, too," she added. "He just led an anti-corruption campaign. As long as they serve citizens, it doesn't matter what their nationality is."

Follow Elaine Yu on Twitter: @yuenok