`Post-umbrella era' starts with rally

Kenneth Lau

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

About 50,000 are expected to join a February 1 rally for universal suffrage as the post-Umbrella Movement era begins, organizer Civil Human Rights Front said.

The walk from Victoria Park will end at the Chater Road pedestrian zone, where protesters may lie down depending on the situation, group convener Daisy Chan Sin-ying said.

Chan said the rally is only a beginning for the post-Umbrella Movement era. "During this new stage, the government issued a public sentiment report and launched the second round of political consultation. But the report did not reflect public opinion ... it even pushed the responsibility to the pan democrats," she said.

Chan explained that the sentiment report, submitted to the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office in Beijing, does not give reasons for or provide analysis of the 79-day movement, which ended on December 14.

She said it is not a comprehensive report.

She said the rally aims to pressure the SAR government into relaunching the "five-step" process for the 2017 chief executive elections.

She also said the August 31 framework by tne NPC Standing Committee is still a small group election that prescreens two to three candidates.

They called on the central government to withdraw the framework.

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`Post-umbrella era' starts with rally