OCLP on antiOccupy signature campaign and march

(Chinese original appears below English translation)

Statement of the Secretariat of Occupy Central with Love and Peace
in regard to the Alliance for Peace and Democracy signature campaign and demonstration just ended

17 August 2014

We respect each and every citizen who voluntarily participated in the signature campaign and demonstration and also understand their worries.  We reiterate that occupying Central is only the last resort, and, if it happens, it will definitely be peaceful and nonviolent.  Just as in the case of the July 2 sit-in by 511 protesters at Chater Road, there will not be any confrontation with the police.

We cannot comment on the number of signatures collected by the Alliance for Peace and Democracy because the organizer did not appoint any independent supervising or executing agency to prevent duplication of signatures, neither on the street nor online.  What is even more regrettable is that there were reports of Mainland students being asked to sign anti-Occupy Central forms when applying for visas from the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, as well as reports that employees of certain companies were urged to give their signatures.  We believe it is inappropriate for anyone to take advantage of unequal power relations in furthering a political movement.

What is equally regrettable is that reportedly some organizations did not clearly explain the nature of the demonstration that they asked their members to join, and some even enticed people to participate by offering cash allowances and meals.  We believe there are citizens who participated in the signature campaign and demonstration on a voluntary basis, but the fact that the organizer allowed these things to happen for the sake of higher numbers will only cast doubt upon those numbers and is also unfair to the voluntary participants.

No matter how many people signed and showed up in the demonstration, the voice of the 800,000 citizens who voted in the Occupy Central civil referendum will not be drowned out.  The results of the civil referendum have mandated OCLP to fight for the three-track proposal and called on Legco to veto any universal suffrage proposal that does not conform to international standards.  The anti-Occupy Central campaign claims to be anti-violence and to strive for universal suffrage.  These are no different from our goals, unless it is "pre-screened universal suffrage" that they actually mean.  Unfortunately the organizer has never put forward its own proposal on universal suffrage.

Lastly, if the Alliance for Peace and Democracy wins the support of more than one million people, they should know this is a huge number (as compared to the 1.8 million who voted in the last Legco election).  As such, there is really no need for the pro-establishment camp to be afraid of civil nomination and a universal suffrage method that conforms to international standards.  They should just let Hong Kong people have a genuine choice!


就反佔中大聯盟剛結束的收集簽名及遊行活動，和平佔中秘書處發表聲明如下：

我們尊重每一位自願參與簽名和遊行的市民，明白到他們的憂慮。我們重申佔領中環是在迫不得已的情況下才會進行。而即使進行佔中，亦必定是和平非暴力，就好像7月2日凌晨511位在遮打道的抗爭者一樣，不會與警察發生任何衡突。

對反佔中簽名的人數，我們無法評論，因為主辦方沒有委任一個獨立的監督或執行機構，亦無方法防止
街頭重複簽名，或者在街頭簽名後再在網上簽名。令人更遺憾的，是有報道指大陸學生到中聯辦申請證件時被要求簽署反佔中表格，還有一些公司和機構向僱員施壓及收集簽名。我們認為利用權力關係推動任何政治運動都是不適當的。

同樣令人遺憾的，是有報道指有團體在組織市民參與遊行時並無清楚交待活動性質，更有團體利用金錢津貼或飲食利誘市民出席。我們相信有市民是自願參與簽名和遊行，但主辦單位為了追求數字，容許這些事情發生，只會令公眾懷疑上述數字，對那些自發參與的市民亦不公道。

其實無論簽名或遊行人數再多，亦無法蓋過近80萬市民在佔中全民投票所表達的意見。全民投票結果是授權和平佔中爭取三軌方案，並要求立法會否決一個不符合國際標準的普選方案。反佔中運動聲稱是爭取反暴力、保普選，這部份和我們的目標並無衝突，除非他們說的「保普選」是「保篩選」。可惜主辦單位一直沒有提出他們的普選方案。

最後，如果反佔中聯盟真的取得過百萬人的支持，他們應該知道這是一個非常龐大的數字（立法會選舉投票人數亦只有180萬），建制派實在無需懼怕公民提名和一個符合國際標準的普選，而應讓香港人有真正的選擇！

2014年8月17日