Marco Leung Ling-kit
Marco Leung Ling-kit (梁凌杰; March 7, 1984 – June 15, 2019) was a Hong Kong social activist who participated in the Umbrella Revolution and the movement against the extradition bill amendment.
On the eve of the "Condemn the Repression, Withdraw the Evil Law" (譴責鎮壓，撤回惡法) protest march held on June 16, 2019, Leung hung banners at a high position in Admiralty’s Pacific Place, demanding the complete withdrawal of the extradition bill amendment rather than a postponement, the release of those arrested during the June 12 police-civilian clashes, and the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam as an act of accountability.
Afterward, he worked part-time at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, as a van assistant, and in clerical positions at a Japanese department store.
[14][15] On June 12, 2019, during the Hong Kong protest, a person wearing a yellow raincoat and holding an umbrella led a crowd to attack the police line on Tim Wa Avenue [zh].
[16] At around 4 PM on June 15, 2019, Leung, dressed in a yellow raincoat with "Carrie Lam is killing Hong Kong, police are cold-blooded" (林鄭殺港 黑警冷血) written on the back, climbed onto a temporary work platform over 20 meters high outside Pacific Place in Admiralty.
[17] He hung a banner on the scaffolding that read: "Fully withdraw the extradition bill, we are not rioters, release the students and the injured, Carrie Lam step down, Help Hong Kong.
Roy Kwong then stayed on the pedestrian road opposite Queensway, using a loudspeaker to call out, "Come down, we will march together tomorrow,"[20] but his voice could not clearly reach the platform at Pacific Place,[21][22] and Leung was unwilling to talk to the police negotiators.
[30] On the evening of Leung Ling-kit’s death, dozens of citizens laid flowers outside Taikoo Place to mourn him,[31] including pastor Chu Yiu-ming, one of the "Occupy Central Trio.
[35] The organizing group, Civil Human Rights Front, announced that 2 million+1 people joined the march, explaining that the "+1" represented Leung Ling-kit.
[36] At the "Lennon Wall" outside the Hong Kong government headquarters on Harcourt Road in Admiralty, citizens posted a photo of his back and a couplet reading, "His heroic spirit for the people will last forever, and his righteous cause will shine through the ages."
[38] On June 17, at the "Workers Against Extradition" rally organized by the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, Chairperson Carol Ng read a eulogy, describing Leung as a steadfast believer who sacrificed himself for democracy and freedom, stating that he was "pushed down by the regime."
[40] Pro-democracy legislators stood in silence for one minute with white flowers, while most pro-establishment members left the chamber,[40] including Kwok Wai-keung of the Federation of Trade Unions, whom Leung had once helped.
[12] On June 21, the seventh day after Leung Ling-kit’s death, crowds gathered at the scene of the incident at Taikoo Place to lay flowers and pay their respects.
The queue of citizens waiting to burn incense stretched to the High Court, and some played the hymn "Amazing Grace" on flutes in remembrance.
[53] On December 17, a civil group in Vancouver, Canada, held an event and a memorial for Leung Ling-kit, displaying a yellow raincoat and placing white flower bouquets from volunteers.
About 150 people laid flowers, lit candles, chanted slogans, and sang "Glory to Hong Kong" on the pedestrian road outside Taikoo Place.
By evening, the queue of people coming to pay respects grew longer, stretching from the High Court to the Cheung Kong Center, with the end of the line near the Peak Tram Station on Garden Road in Central.
Some citizens placed multiple light box tombstones by the grass, displaying messages like "One Country, Two Systems is Dead" and commemorating those who died during the anti-extradition bill protests.
[57] At least 200 people gathered in the mall's atrium, waving protest flags, chanting slogans related to Hong Kong independence, and holding up their phone lights.
Ten minutes later, a large number of riot police advanced from Taikoo Place towards the High Court, banging their shields and instructing journalists to move forward.
Police officers subsequently cordoned off the area and conducted checks on the citizens, warning those who left flowers about “littering” and recording their ID card details.
[62]On June 15, 2023, the fourth anniversary of Marco Leung Ling-kit’s death, citizens came to the scene to lay flowers in the evening, but were warned by police that they would be fined for littering.
[63] Pazu, a columnist for Stand News, argued that Marco Leung’s last wishes were clear and concise, attributing his death not to any psychological or mental illness but to a "protest with his life."
"[64] Professor Chen Ruoshui of the Department of History at National Taiwan University, in a reader's submission to Stand News, referred to Marco Leung as the first protester to be honored with the title of "martyr.
"[65] An article in the Allgemeine Zeitung listed the five demands on Marco Leung’s banner, calling it the first case in history of someone committing suicide to defend Hong Kong’s freedom.
[66] Apple Daily commentator Fung Hei-kin noted that Marco Leung died defending the freedom of a city, even as an ideal, reflecting a "spirit of the times."
Fung cited Pericles' "Funeral Oration" from Thucydides’ "History of the Peloponnesian War," suggesting that the passage starting with "The whole earth is the sepulcher of famous men" could serve as a eulogy for Leung.
[67] Chow Kwun-wai, director of the short film "Self-immolator" in the movie "Ten Years," said in an Apple Daily interview that he had gone to the altar at Pacific Place on June 16 to mourn Marco Leung.
[77] A People’s Daily article from a WeChat account claimed that Marco Leung was "ideologically radical and impulsive," which led Roy Kwong to see him as an opportunity, giving him money to "carefully plan" the extreme protest.
If they thought Leung was aware of the rescue cushion below and estimated he would fall onto it but ultimately failed due to a misjudgment, they could conclude "death by misadventure."
