My Take | Airport sit-in a vain attempt by Hong Kong’s pan-democrats to show displeasure towards CY
If flight security was the protesters real concern, demonstrators could have parked themselves outside Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s office rather than inconvenience travellers at city’s only airport
I don’t know what threatened airport security more: retrieving a piece of left luggage for the chief executive’s daughter or organising thousands of people to jam-pack into the main arrival hall of Hong Kong’s only airport.
At best, the protest on Sunday, ostensibly organised by the Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation, caused serious inconvenience to travellers. At worst, it took away police and security resources that could have been deployed to detect crime and guard against potential terrorism.
The federation, part of the pan-democratic Confederation of Trade Unions, claimed the protest was not political, and that it was only concerned with ensuring flight security. If that’s true, it’s a strange way to demonstrate concern – by compromising security further.
The federation said 2,500 people took part; police estimated only 1,000. But even the federation admitted only 10 per cent of crew members participated in the rally. The rest was all made up of the usual pan-democratic suspects – the Civic Party, the League of Social Democrats, myriad localist groups, and their supporters.
The controversy followed reports that in late March, Cathay Pacific employees helped Leung Chun-ying’s youngest daughter retrieve a bag she had left behind in the departure hall when she was already at the boarding gate. Leung spoke to airport staff to help his daughter.
