Hong Kong Protesters ‘Part Like The Red Sea’ To Let Ambulance Through

@chowtingagnes/Twitter

Thousands of protesters in Hong Kong ‘parted like the Red Sea’ to let an ambulance through, in footage that has since gone viral, and their behaviour is rightly drawing plaudits.

More than two million people are reported to have taken to the streets to protest a controversial extradition bill, which would allow China to send citizens of Hong Kong to China’s mainland for legal trials.

Protesters, who believe the legislation would expose people in Hong Kong to China’s deeply flawed justice system, have been calling for the bill to be withdrawn and for Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam to resign.

PA Images

With millions of people taking over the streets of Hong Kong, roads were forced to shut down. However, protesters still did their bit to help an ambulance reach its destination as it struggled to make its way through the huge crowd.

Incredible footage of the moment protesters parted ways was shared to social media immediately after the event, instantly going viral.

Agnes Chow Ting, a student activist in Hong Kong, posted the video on Sunday (June 16), describing the moment the crowd ‘opened the road all together’.

Take a look at the moment it happened below:

The video shows demonstrators parting ways before waiting patiently as the ambulance makes its way through the crowd. They then join together and cheer.

Many praised the protesters for their actions, calling it ‘admirable’ and ‘the most beautiful scene in Hong Kong’. Another person described the scene as ‘Moses separating the Red Sea’.

A 28-year-old woman called Cathy said she was in the crowd at approximately 6pm on Sunday evening when she heard people yelling to let an ambulance through.

Cathy told Mail Online:

I heard that someone had fallen ill ahead of us. The ambulance arrived and there was a protester separating the crowd and asking people to move to the side of the road.

There was no chaos at all. Everyone was so polite and organised. I was so touched. We are definitely not rioters!

Demonstrators are proving peaceful protest can work, and it needn’t come at the cost of damage to your own city, or future.

Those participating have been photographed studying amid the mass protest, repeatedly parting the crowd to allow emergency services to pass, they’ve even moved so as not to disrupt public transport – all while delivering a clear and coherent message to the powers that be.

A huge number of notes were also created to decorate the parts of the street to honour a protester who lost their life falling from a luxury mall.

Demonstrators have been filmed in various locations volunteering to clean up trash in the aftermath of the public display.

Carrie Lam has since apologised for the bill, acknowledging it is now ‘unlikely’ it will pass, the BBC reports.

In a speech, the leader said:

I personally have to shoulder much of the responsibility. This has led to controversies, disputes and anxieties in society. For this I offer my most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong.

PA Images

Mrs Lam has suspended the bill and said it will not be revived until peoples’ fears were addressed.

She conceded that she needed to ‘do better’.

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Lucy Connolly

A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).