tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post8971687436832064976..comments2024-03-06T12:16:49.012-05:00Comments on Fire on the Mountain: May ’70: 2. Nixon Kicks It Off!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post-1646848255355938212022-05-05T11:02:02.470-04:002022-05-05T11:02:02.470-04:00Frank Kehl
In Hong Kong, the anti-war movement amo...Frank Kehl<br />In Hong Kong, the anti-war movement among Americans and friends had had its maiden activity in late'69, a teach-in with one representative from the US Consulate General. It was held in a Student Christian Union space in Kowloon. (It was the first time the poster of the My Lai Massacre was shown, with the caption "And babies? And babies.") The weekend anti-war events were meticulously planned: anything political, even indoors, made the colonial HK authorities allergic. It was Part 1 of a two part weekend action. Part 2 was a 24 hour vigil on the sloping lawn of the US Consulate General, the largest US Consulate in the world, larger than most embassies -- because on China's doorstep. (Demonstrations on HK land were bannned.) We snuck onto the grounds just before closing, refused the Marine guards' demand to leave, stayed for the whole 24 hours in full view of the HK press through the wrought iron fence bars. That was 1969.<br /><br />On May 4, 1970, nothing was planned. Then news of the Nixon escalation into Cambodia was announced on radio and TV. We rushed to the Consulate grounds, each spontaneously, not even a phone-tree: Americans, Canadians, Swiss, English, Hong Kong Chinese. The Hong Kong Tiger Standard counted 120 of us on the grounds. One grizzled old worker in faded blue on the street side of the fence tried to say something, gave up, and offered a Little Red Book to us between the bars. From the looks, it had never been opened, perhaps more talisman than book, but either way, a gift.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673274017217707165noreply@blogger.com