On Dec. 26, nine members of the Hong Kong independence movement broke into the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Jiangchuang Garrison headquarters unfurling the British Hong Kong flag and demanding that the PLA withdraw from Hong Kong.
This was the first time since the 1997 handover that protesters were able to enter into the grounds of the garrison to demonstrate. Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting reported that on Dec. 27, a spokesperson for the PLA confirmed that a group of Hong Kong citizens had disobeyed orders from garrison guards to back away from the entrance and instead stormed into the grounds of the Jiangchuang Garrison.
The spokesperson emphasized that the actions of the group was in contravention of the “Garrison Law” and had created a nuisance. The spokesperson also stated that the incident has been reported to the Hong Kong police.
The incident was an apparent response to the HKSAR government’s decision to use the new waterfront area in Central for military purposes. That decision has sparked opposition from local activist groups.
On the day of the incident, a group of demonstrators from the “Hong Kong First” movement gathered outside of the garrison’s headquarters, unfurling the British flag and demanding that the construction of the Central military pier be terminated. Soon afterwards the group of protesters pushed past the guards at the entrance and entered onto garrison property. The protesters were eventually expelled by the guards off of the garrison.
A member of the movement told reporters that this was not only “the first wave of action” but also a warm-up for the New Year’s parade. The member also said that the protesters were prepared for the worst as the PLA could have opened fire on them but it needed to be done to open the eyes of the Hong Kong people to the reality of the situation.