China on Tuesday censured the Canadian government for its public criticism of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” which stands in stark contrast to its enthusiastic support of the protests in Hong Kong in 2019-20.
“In the eyes of some people in Canada, similar protests and demonstrations should be referred to differently in different places. In Hong Kong, they are 'human rights movement,' but in Canada they are 'a threat to democracy.' Such stark double standard is unacceptable," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
The Chinese embassy in Canada also referred to the strict government crackdown on the truckers protests in Ottawa’s downtown area in the past two weeks, calling it absolute hypocrisy when juxtaposed with the diplomatic support which it provided to the pro-democratic protests in Hong Kong.
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The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill movement were a series of demonstrations which took place in Hong Kong in 2019-20 the aim of which was to force the government to rescind the law which would facilitate extradition of individuals (who are arrested on the charges of threat to national security) to mainland China for prosecution.
In response, Canada suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and stopped the permit of exporting sensitive military tech to the semi-autonomous country.
“We will continue to support the many connections between Canada and Hong Kong while also standing up for its people,” Canadian PM Trudeau had then said.
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Canada on Wednesday revoked the emergency powers which were used to disperse trucker-led protests in Ottawa and blockades on the Canada-US border. A civil liberties group has sued Canada for declaring a state of emergency for the second time in the country’s history, as per a report by the AFP.
“Hundreds of officers in riot gear cleared the main protest hub in downtown Ottawa Saturday, using batons and pepper spray and making dozens of arrests, as they worked to flush out a hard core of demonstrators occupying the Canadian capital,” the report further says.
