Hong Kong’s May Riots of 1967 Re-Examined

Hong Kong University Press has just published a fascinating new book on the May Day riots in Hong Kong in 1967 which is a subject rarely mentioned much these days in the new PRC-friendly SAR. Pro-communists in Hong Kong, inspired by the Cultural Revolution, turned a strike into a series of large-scale demonstrations against British colonial rule with pretty serious fighting.

The British-run Government imposed emergency regulations, granting the police special powers in attempt to quell the unrest. Leftists newspapers were banned from publishing; leftist schools were shut down; many leftists leaders were arrested, detained, and some of were later deported to the PRC. By the time the riots subsided at the end of the year 51 people were killed, including 5 police officers.

The new book – May Days in Hong Kong: Riot and Emergency in 1967, edited by Robert Bickers and Ray Yep – covers the the 1967 Riot, its impact on future government policy, Sino-British relations and the legacy for Hong Kong society and the people.