The 2007 Macau labour protest (2007年澳門勞動節遊行) was a large scale protest that occurred on
Labour Day
Labour Day ('' Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...
May 1, 2007 in the
Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. The event eventually turned violent.
Protest to riot
On May 1, 2007, about 2,400 demonstrators turned out to decry official corruption and rail against illegal immigrants working in Macau's construction industry.
[Asia Times.]
Asia Times
" ''The casino that ate Macau.'' Retrieved on 2009-11-05. Though some sources point to the event as having 5,000 participants and eventually grew to 10,000.
[RTHK.org.]
." ''澳門發起遊行的勞工團體批評警方開槍不能接受.'' Retrieved on 2009-11-05. Witnesses said scuffles erupted when protesters hurled water bottles at police and tried to break through police line. Local television stations showed police beating back protesters with batons and dragging away a number of them.
[Reuters.com]
Reuters.com
"Macau launches probe after man shot at protest". Retrieved on 2009-11-05.
The protest then turned into a riot.
Public Security Police Force of Macau fired warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd. A passing motorcyclist was struck in the neck by one of the bullets. The 50-year-old man Leung Ngai-keong (梁毅強) survived, but this affected the reputation of the police.
[Sina.com.]
Sina.com
." ''天降流彈插胸腔險傷頸椎.'' Retrieved on 2009-11-05. Riot police later confirmed five shots were fired into the air during the protest. The police chief said 10 people were arrested and 21 police officers were injured.
Protesters carried banners calling for better labour protection. Some demanded the resignation of
Edmund Ho, the
Chief Executive of Macau, who was appointed by
Beijing.
The protest lasted about six hours.
Hong Kong response
HK politician
Leung Kwok-hung staged a protest in Macau Friday calling on Ho to punish the police officer who opened fire. Leung, accompanied by four members of the
April Fifth Action group, marched from the
Macau-Hong Kong Ferry Terminal to the
Macau government headquarters
The Macau Government Headquarters (; pt, Sede do Governo da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China), formerly Governor's Palace ( pt, Palácio do Governador) is the official office of the Chief Executive of Maca ...
at Avenida da Praia Grande.
[The Standard HK.]
The Standard.com
." ''Macau chief defends police action during labor protest.'' Retrieved on 2009-11-05. He and other Macau labor union representatives read out a statement asking the government to apologize for the incident and review its handling of protests.
See also
*
2007 Macau transfer of sovereignty anniversary protest
The 2007 Macau transfer of sovereignty anniversary protest (2007年澳門民主回歸大遊行) was an anti-government protest that took place on December 20, 2007 in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.TVNZ.TV ...
*
2010 Macau labour protest
The 2010 Macau labour protest ( zh, t=五．一 勞動節遊行) was a protest that occurred on Labour Day 1 May 2010 at Patane, St. Anthony Parish Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.HKheadline.com.HKheadline.co ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2007 Macau Labour Protest
Macau Labour Protest, 2007
Macau labour
Protests in Macau