title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Some radical protesters promoted the idea of "mutual destruction" or "phoenixism", these terms being translations of the Cantonese "lam chau". They theorised that sanctions against the ruling CCP and the loss of Hong Kong's international finance centre and special trade status (caused by China's interference of the one-country, two systems principle) would destabilise mainland China's economy, and therefore, undermine the rule of the CCP and give Hong Kong a chance to be "reborn" in the future. They believed that further government crackdown would ultimately speed up the process of "lam chau", ultimately hurting the regime.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Doxing and cyberbullying were tactics used by both supporters and opponents of the protests. Some protesters used these tactics on police officers and their families and uploaded their personal information online. More than 1,000 officers' personal details had been reportedly leaked online, and nine individuals had been arrested. Protest leaders have been attacked after being doxed and intimidated. HK Leaks, an anonymous website based in Russia, and promoted by groups linked to the CCP, doxed about 200 people seen as being supportive of the protests. On 25 October 2019, Hong Kong Police obtained a court injunction prohibiting anyone from sharing any personal information about police officers or their families.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Both sides of the protests spread unverified rumours, misinformation and disinformation. This included tactics such as using selective cuts of news footage and creating false narratives. Several deaths, most notably, that of Chan Yin-lam, a 15-year-old girl whom the police suspected had committed suicide, were the subject of a conspiracy theory given the unusual circumstances surrounding her death. Pro-Beijing camp spread rumour was that the CIA was involved in instigating the protests after photographs of Caucasian men taking part in the protests were shared online. The police blamed fake news for causing public distrust towards law enforcement, though the police itself were also accused by several media outlets and prosecutors of lying to the public. Both Twitter and Facebook announced that they had discovered what they described as large-scale disinformation campaigns operating on their social networks to vilify and discredit the protesters. According to investigations by Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, some attacks were coordinated, state-backed operations that were believed to have been carried out by agents of the Chinese government.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: On 13 June 2019, allegations of organised cyberattacks were made against the Chinese government. Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, suggested that the Chinese government may be behind the DDoS attacks on Telegram. Additionally, Durov further tweeted that some of the DDoS attacks coincided with the protest on 12 June 2019. Another DDoS attack occurred on 31 August; two Chinese websites including Baidu Tieba were involved in the attack.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: According to polls conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, net approval of the Hong Kong Police Force fell to 22 percent in mid-2019, due to its handling of the protests. At the end of July, 60 percent of respondents in public surveys were dissatisfied with police handling of incidents since June 2019. Nearly 70 percent of Hong Kong citizens believe the police have acted unprofessionally by making indiscriminate arrests and losing self-control. Their role and actions have raised questions about their accountability, the manner in which they wielded their physical force, and their crowd control methods. There have also been allegations of lack of consistency of law enforcement whether through deliberate inaction or poor organisation.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Hong Kong police were accused of using excessive and disproportionate force and not following both international safety guidelines and internal protocols while using their weapons. According to Amnesty International, police aimed horizontally while firing, targeting protesters' heads and torsos. Police use of bean bag rounds and rubber bullets allegedly ruptured the eyes of several protesters and the eye of an Indonesian journalist. Police were found to have been using tear gas as an offensive weapon, firing it indoors inside a railway station, using expired tear gas, which could release toxic gases upon combustion, and firing canisters from high-rise buildings. Between June and November 2019, approximately 10,000 volleys of gas had been fired. Chemical residues were found on different public facilities in various neighbourhoods. The use of tear gas sparked public health concerns after a reporter was diagnosed with chloracne in November 2019, though both the environment department and the health department disputed these claims.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Several police operations, in particular in Prince Edward station where the Special Tactical Squad (STS) assaulted commuters on a train, were thought by protesters and pro-democrats to have disregarded public safety. Police were accused of using disproportionate force after an officer shot two young protesters with live ammunition in Tsuen Wan and Sai Wan Ho on 1 October 2019 and 11 November 2019 respectively. An off-duty officer shot and injured a 15-year-old boy in Yuen Long on 4 October 2019 when he was assaulted by protesters who accused him of bumping into people with his car. The siege of PolyU, which was described as a "humanitarian crisis" by democrats and medics, prompted the Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres to intervene as the wounded protesters trapped inside ran out of supplies and lacked first-aid care.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Police were accused of obstructing first-aid service and emergency services and interfering with the work of medical personnel inside hospitals. The arrest of volunteer medics during the siege of PolyU was condemned by medical professionals. Police were accused of using excessive force on already subdued, compliant arrestees. Videos showed the police kicking an arrestee, pressing one's face against the ground, using one as a human shield, stomping on a demonstrator's head, and pinning a protester's neck to the ground with a knee. Video footage also shows the police beating passers-by, pushing and kicking people who were attempting to mediate the conflict, and tackling minors and pregnant women.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Protesters reported suffering brain haemorrhage and bone fractures after being violently arrested by the police. Amnesty International stated that police had used "retaliatory violence" against protesters and mistreated and tortured some detainees. Detainees reported being forced to inhale tear gas, and being beaten and threatened by officers. Police officers shined laser lights directly into one detainee's eyes. The police were accused of using sexual violence on female protesters. A female alleged that she was gang raped inside Tsuen Wan police station, while the police reported that their investigation did not align with her accusation, and later announced plans to arrest her on suspicion of providing false information. Some detainees reported police had denied them access to lawyers and delayed their access to medical services. Many of these allegations were believed to have taken place in San Uk Ling Holding Centre.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The kettling of protesters, the firing of pepper ball rounds at protesters at near point-blank range, driving dangerously were also sources of controversy. A police officer was suspended after he hit one protester with a motorcycle and dragged him on 11 November 2019. He was later reinstated. A police van suddenly accelerated into a crowd of protesters, causing a stampede as STS officers exiting from the van chased protesters in Yau Ma Tei on 18 November 2019. Police defended the latter action as an appropriate response by well-trained officers to attacks by protesters, and that "[driving] fast doesn't mean it is unsafe".


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Some police officers did not wear uniforms with identification numbers or failed to display their warrant cards, making it difficult for citizens to file complaints. The government explained in June 2019 that there was not enough space on the uniforms to accommodate identification numbers. In June 2020, the appearance of various decorations on uniforms caused this explanation to be doubted. The court ruled in November 2020 that the police had breached the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance by hiding or not displaying their identification number. In late 2019 the government introduced "call signs" to replace warrant cards, but it was found that officers shared call signs.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The police have also repeatedly interfered with the justice process. They have been suspected of tampering with evidence, giving false testimony before court, and coercing false confessions from arrestees. The deployment of undercover officers who were suspected of committing arson and vandalism also generated controversy, and the ability of police officers to identify the differences between ordinary protesters and undercover officers was questioned. A police officer was arrested in April 2020 for perverting the course of justice after he allegedly instructed a teen to throw petrol bombs at a police station he works at.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Some uniformed officers used foul language to harass and humiliate protesters and journalists and provoked protesters. The slur "cockroach"—whose dehumanising qualities have been recognised in the social sciences and psychology—was used frequently by frontline officers to insult protesters; some officers sought to counter this development, and suggested that in several instances, verbal abuse by protesters may have led officers to use the term. An officer was reprimanded by his superiors for shouting derisive comments to protesters about the death of Chow Tsz-lok. Police described a man wearing a yellow vest who was taken to an alley, surrounded by police officers, and apparently physically abused by one of them, as a "yellow object".


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Police were also accused of spreading a climate of fear by conducting hospital arrests, attacking protesters while undercover, arresting people arbitrarily, targeting youngsters, banning requests for demonstrations, and arresting high-profile activists and lawmakers. During the pandemic period, it has also used the law banning groups of 4 to further ban peaceful protests. However, the police were accused of applying double standards by showing leniency towards violent counter-protesters. It has also failed to fulfill its duty to protect the protesters. Their slow response and inaction during the Yuen Long attack sparked accusations they had colluded with the attackers.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Police modified the Police General Orders by removing the sentence "officers will be accountable for their own actions" ahead of the 1 October 2019 confrontation. Police sources of the "Washington Post" have said that a culture of impunity pervades the police force, such that riot police often disregarded their training or became dishonest in official reports to justify excessive force. Police officers who felt that their actions were not justified were marginalised. Police commanders reportedly ignored the wrongdoings and the unlawful behaviours of frontline riot police and refused to use any disciplinary measures to avoid upsetting them. Lam's administration also denied police wrongdoings and backed the police multiple times. As of December 2019, no officer had been suspended for their actions or charged or prosecuted over protest-related actions. When the District Councils were passing motions to condemn police violence, police commissioner Chris Tang and other civil servants walked out in protest.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) launched investigations into alleged incidents of police misconduct during the protests. Protesters demanded an independent commission of inquiry instead, as the members of the IPCC are mainly pro-establishment and it lacks the power to investigate, make definitive judgements, and hand out penalties. Despite calls from both local and international opinion leaders, Carrie Lam and both police commissioners Stephen Lo and Chris Tang rejected the formation of an independent committee. Lam insisted that the IPCC was able to fulfill the task, while Tang called the formation of such a committee an "injustice" and a "tool for inciting hatred" against the force.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: On 8 November 2019, a five-member expert panel headed by Sir Denis O'Connor and appointed by Lam in September 2019 to advise the IPCC, concluded that the police watchdog lacked the "powers, capacity and independent investigative capability necessary" to fulfill its role as a police watchdog group and suggested the formation of an independent commission of inquiry given the current protest situation. After negotiations to increase the IPCC's powers fell through, the five panel members quit on 11 December 2019. The IPCC report on police behaviour during the protests released in May 2020 concluded that police has mostly followed the guidelines though there was room for improvement. While government officials called the report "comprehensive", democrats and human rights organisations were unanimous in declaring it a whitewash of police misdeeds. One of the expert panel members, Clifford Stott, said in June 2020 that the police had misjudged the dynamics of the protests and had used disproportionate force at almost all protests, thus creating more disorder than it prevented. A report co-authored by Stott, published in November 2020, saw the "absence of any credible system of accountability for the police" as one major reason for why the protests became more radical.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The protests received significant press attention. Nathan Ruser from ASPI identified the protests as the most live-streamed social unrest in history. According to a poll conducted by CUHK, live feeds have replaced traditional media, social media and Telegram as the main way for citizens of Hong Kong to access protest-related information. Ruser suggested that unlike other protests, the widespread use of livestreaming technology in the Hong Kong protests meant that there was "almost parity when it comes to what [one] can learn remotely researching it to actually being there".


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Many of Hong Kong's media outlets are owned by local tycoons who have significant business ties in the mainland, so many of them adopt self-censorship at some level and have mostly maintained a conservative editorial line in their coverage of the protests. The management of some firms have forced journalists to change their headline to sound less sympathetic to the protest movement. A report by "BBC" suggested that the management of local terrestrial broadcaster Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) had forced employees to include more voices supporting the government and highlight the aggressive actions of the protesters, without including segments focusing on the responses from the protesters or the democrats. Journalists from "South China Morning Post", which was acquired by the Chinese Alibaba Group in 2016, had their news pieces significantly altered by senior editors to include a pro-government viewpoint before they were published. TVB and local news outlet HK01 were accused of pro-government bias, and protesters have physically assaulted their news crews and damaged their equipment and vehicles. Protesters also placed political pressure on various corporations, urging them to stop placing advertisements on TVB.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: On the other hand, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), a public broadcasting service, faced criticisms of bias in favour of the protest movement. Its critics have surrounded the headquarters of RTHK and assaulted its reporters. RTHK also faced political pressure from the police directly: police commissioner Chris Tang filed complaints to RTHK against the satirical TV show "Headliner" and opinion program "Pentaprism" for "insulting the police" and "spreading hate speech" respectively. The police were criticised by journalists and democrats for interfering with press freedom. In response to around 200 complaints received by the Communications Authority, RTHK apologised "to any police officers or others who have been offended" and cancelled "Headliner" in May 2020, ending its 21-year run. RTHK journalist Nabela Qoser, known for her blunt questioning of government officials at press conferences, was subjected to racist abuse online by pro-Beijing groups, prompting a statement of "grave concern" from the Equal Opportunities Commission. She also had her probation period at RTHK extended.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Journalists have experienced interference and obstruction from the police in their reporting activities. Police frequently used flashlights against reporters, shining light at cameras to avoid them being filmed or photographed; journalists also reported frequently being harassed, searched, and insulted. In some cases, despite identifying themselves, they were jostled, subdued, pepper-sprayed, or violently detained by the police. Several female reporters complained about being sexually harassed by police officers. Journalists were also caught in the crossfire of protests: Indonesian journalist Veby Mega Indah of "Suara" was blinded by a rubber bullet; a reporter from RTHK suffered burns after he was hit by a petrol bomb. Student journalists have also been targeted and attacked by police.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Police raided the headquarters of pro-democratic newspaper "Apple Daily" and searched its editorial and reporters' areas on 10 August 2020. During the operation, reporters from several major news outlets were rejected from entering cordoned-off areas where a scheduled press briefing was held. Police stated that media who were "unprofessional", or had been reporting in the past in a manner considered by police as biased against the force, would be denied access to such briefings in the future. In September 2020, the police further limited press freedom by narrowing the definition of "media representatives", meaning that student reporters and freelancers would have to face more risks when they are reporting.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Hong Kong's fall by seven places to 80th in the World Press Freedom Index was attributed by Reporters without Borders to the policy of violence against journalists. When the Press Freedom Index was established in 2002, Hong Kong had ranked 18th. Following the passing of the national security law, "The New York Times" announced that it would relocate its digital team's office to Seoul, as the law has "unsettled news organisations and created uncertainty about the city's prospects as a hub for journalism in Asia". The Immigration Department also started declining work visas for foreign journalists, including those working for "New York Times" and local outlet "Hong Kong Free Press".


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Official statistics showed that Hong Kong had slipped into recession as its economy had shrunk in the second and third quarters of 2019. Retail sales declined and consumer spending decreased. Some restaurants saw their customers cancel bookings, and certain banks and shops were forced to close their doors. Some supply chains were disrupted because of the protests. Lower consumer spending caused several luxury brands to delay shop openings, while other brands quit. While some hawkers protested about declining sales, some shops prospered as nearby protesters bought food and other commodities. Stock of protest supplies ran low in both Hong Kong and Taiwan.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The protests also affected property owners: fearing the instability, some investors abandoned purchases of land. Demand for property also declined, as overall property transactions dropped by 24 per cent when compared with the Umbrella Revolution; property developers were forced to slash prices. Trade shows reported decreased attendance and revenue, and many firms cancelled their events in Hong Kong. The Hang Seng Index declined by at least 4.8 per cent from 9 June 2019 to late August 2019. As investment sentiment waned, companies awaiting listing on the stock market put their initial public offerings (IPO) on hold, there being only one in August 2019 – the lowest since 2012. Fitch Ratings downgraded Hong Kong's sovereignty rating from AA+ to AA due to doubts over the government's ability to maintain the "one country, two systems" principle; the outlook on the territory was similarly downgraded from "stable" to "negative".


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Tourism was also affected: the number of visitors travelling to Hong Kong in August 2019 declined by 40 per cent compared to a year earlier, while the National Day holiday saw a decline of 31.9 per cent. Unemployment increased from 0.1 per cent to 3.2 per cent from September to November 2019, with the tourist and the catering sectors, seeing rises to 5.2 per cent and 6.2 per cent respectively during the same period, being the hardest hit. Flight bookings also declined, with airlines cutting or reducing services. During the airport protests on 12 and 13 August 2019, the Airport Authority cancelled numerous flights, which resulted in an estimated US$76 million loss according to aviation experts. Various countries issued travel warnings to their citizens concerning Hong Kong, and many mainland Chinese tourists avoided travelling to Hong Kong due to safety concerns.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The economy in Hong Kong became increasingly politicised. Some corporations bowed to pressure and fired employees who expressed their support for the protests. Several international corporations and businesses including the National Basketball Association and Activision Blizzard decided to appease China during the protests and faced intense criticisms. "The Diplomat" called the Yellow Economic Circle "one of the most radical, progressive, and innovative forms of long-term struggle" during the protests. Corporations perceived to be pro-Beijing faced boycotts, and some were vandalised. Meanwhile, "yellow" shops allied with protesters enjoyed a flurry of patrons even during the coronavirus crisis.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Lam's administration was criticised for its performance during the protests – her perceived arrogance and obstinacy, and her reluctance to engage in dialogue with protesters. Her extended absences, stonewalling performance at press conferences, were all believed to have enabled the protesters to escalate events. According to public opinion polls, approval ratings of Lam and her government were the lowest among all chief executives, with Lam's rating plunged to 19.5 out of 100 in November 2019. Her performance and those of Secretary for Security John Lee and Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng were called "disastrous". On 2 September, Reuters received a leaked audio recording in which Carrie Lam admitted that she had "very limited" room to manoeuvre between the Central People's Government and Hong Kong, and that she would quit, if she had a choice. However, the next day she told the media that she had never contemplated discussing her resignation with the Beijing authorities. Lam's behaviour on this and later occasions strengthened the perception among a broad part of the protesters and their supporters that she was not able to make any crucial decision without instructions from the Beijing government, effectively serving as its puppet. Distrust toward the government and the lack of police accountability also led to the temporary prevalence of conspiracy theories.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Both sides claimed that rule of law in Hong Kong was undermined during the protests. While the government, the police and government supporters criticised the protesters for breaking the law and using violence to "extort" the government to accept the demands, the protesters and their sympathisers felt that lack of police oversight, selective law enforcement, selective prosecution, police brutality, and the government's blanket denial of all police wrongdoings all harmed rule of law and expressed their disappointment that the law cannot help them achieve justice. The judiciary was also scrutinised after judge Kwok Wai-kin dedicated much of his sentencing statement to comment on the negative impacts of the protests and to expressing sympathy toward a stabber who attacked three people in September 2019 near a Lennon Wall. He was later removed from handling all protest-related cases.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The government's extended absence and its lack of a political solution in the early stage of the protests catapulted the police into the front line, and heavy-handed policing became a substitute for solving a political crisis. The police force was initially "lost and confused" and was discontent with the government for not offering enough support. Subsequently, Lam's blanket denial of allegations of police brutality led to accusations that Lam and her administration endorsed police violence. Throughout the protests, the establishment waited for demonstrators' aggression to increase so they could justify greater militarisation of the police and dismiss the protesters as "insurgents" and thereby also dismiss their demands. Ma Ngok, a political scientist, remarked that the failures of the government meant that it "has lost the trust of a whole generation" and predicted that youths would remain angry at both the government and the police for years to come.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The reputation of the police took a serious drubbing following the heavy-handed treatment of protesters. In October 2019, a survey conducted by CUHK revealed that more than 50 percent of respondents were deeply dissatisfied with the police's performance. The satisfaction rate of police force dropped to a record low after the handover. According to some reports, their aggressive behaviours and tactics have caused them to become a symbol that represents hostility and suppression. Their actions against protesters resulted in a breakdown of citizens' trust of the police. Citizens were also concerned over the ability of the police to regulate and control their members and feared their abuse of power. The suspected acts of police brutality led some politically neutral or political apathetic citizens to become more sympathetic towards the young protesters. Fearing Hong Kong was changing into a police state, some citizens actively considered emigration. The lack of any prosecutions against officers, and the absence of independent police oversight, sparked fears that the police could not be held accountable for their actions and that they were immune to any legal consequences.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Affected by the controversies surrounding the police force's handling of the protests, between June 2019 to February 2020, 446 police officers quit (which was 40 per cent higher than the figure in 2018), and the force only managed to recruit 760 officers (40 per cent lower than the previous year), falling well short of the police force's expectations. The police cancelled foot patrols because of fears officers may be attacked, and issued extendable batons to off-duty officers. Police officers also reported being "physically and mentally" tired, as they faced the risks of being doxed, cyberbullied, and distanced by their family members. Police relations with journalists, social workers, medical professionals and members from other disciplined forces became strained.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The protests deepened the rift between the "yellow" (pro-democracy) and "blue" (pro-government) camps created since the Umbrella Revolution. People who opposed the protests argued that protesters were spreading "chaos and fear" across the city, causing damage to the economy and thus harming people not involved in the protests. On the other hand, protesters justified their actions by what they saw as the greater good of protecting the territory's freedoms against the encroachment of mainland China. Anti-mainland sentiments swelled during this period. Family relationships were strained, as children argued with their parents over their attending protests, disagreeing with their parents' political stance, avoidance of politics or views on the manner of the protests.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: As the protests continued to escalate, citizens showed an increasing tolerance towards confrontational and violent actions. Pollsters found that among 8,000 respondents at protest sites, 90% of them believed that the use of these tactics was understandable because of the government's refusal to respond to the demands. The protest movement provided a basis for challenging the government over its controversial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, and some observers ascribed the success in halting the first wave of the pandemic to protesters' related efforts. Unity among the protesters was seen across a wide spectrum of age groups and professions. While some moderate protesters reported that the increase in violence alienated them from the protests, public opinion polls conducted by CUHK suggested that the movement was able to maintain public support. The unity among protesters fostered a new sense of identity and community in Hong Kong, which had always been a very materialistic society. This was evidenced by the adoption of "Glory to Hong Kong" as a protest anthem.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: A study conducted by the University of Hong Kong found that the protests were having negative impacts on the mental health of Hong Kong residents with one third of adults, around 2 million adults of a total population of 7.4 million, reporting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the protests, up from 5 per cent in March 2015. This was a six times increase from four years earlier with levels of depression and PTSD comparable to a war zone. A survey, on social media, of more than 1,000 people by the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that 38 per cent were troubled by depression-related problems. Symptoms of PTSD were found not only to afflict protesters, but also those watching events unfold on the news, living in affected areas, or working in jobs that are related to the movement (nurses, doctors, reporters, police, and street cleaners). Suspected PTSD in 2019 was found to have a prevalence of 12.8 per cent in the population. Heavy social media use of 2 or more hours per day was associated with likelihood of both depression or PTSD. A "Guardian" article dated 22 October 2019 reported that "protesters have tracked at least nine cases of suicides that appear to be linked directly to the demonstrations" since June. In five of these cases, the victims left a suicide note referring to the protests, and three were attributed to events following the extradition bill. With the passage of the national security law and the establishment of a national security hotline, societal mistrust and stress was expected to increase as of 2020.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Carrie Lam continued to push for the second reading of the bill despite a mass anti-extradition bill protest, saying that the government was "duty-bound" to amend the law. She had previously rejected meeting the protesters, believing that such meeting would have "no purpose". Following the 12 June conflict, both Police Commissioner Stephen Lo and Lam characterised the conflict as a "riot". The police later backed down on the claim, saying that among the protesters, only five of them rioted. Protesters demanded that the government fully retract the riot characterisation. Lam's analogy as Hong Kong people's mother attracted criticisms after the violent crackdown on 12 June.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Lam announced the suspension of the bill on 15 June 2019, and officially apologised to the public on 18 June two days after another massive march. In early July, Lam reiterated that the bill "had passed away" and reaffirmed that all efforts to amend the law had ceased, though her use of language was thought to be ambiguous. During July and August 2019, the government insisted that it would not make any concessions and that the IPCC would suffice to investigate police misconduct. She also refused to declare the withdrawal of the bill, and ignored calls for her to resign. On 4 September 2019, Lam announced that she would formally withdraw the extradition bill, as well as introduce measures such as adding new members to the IPCC, engage in dialogue at the community level, and invite academics to join an "independent review committee" – with no investigative powers – to evaluate Hong Kong's deep-rooted problems. However, protesters and democrats saw the withdrawal as coming too late, and insisted that all of their five core demands be answered. One day prior to the first dialogue session of Lam on 26 September 2019, a Chinese envoy termed the demands "political blackmail", leading to doubts on the leeway Lam had in the sessions. The independent review committee was then shelved by Lam in May 2020.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: After condemning the protesters who had stormed the legislature on 1 July for their "use of extreme violence", and those who had defaced the national emblem during the 21 July protest, Lam suggested in early August 2019 that the protests had deviated from their original purpose and that their goal now was to challenge China's sovereignty and damage "one country, two systems". She suggested that radical protesters were dragging Hong Kong to a "path of no return" and that they had "no stake in society", and therefore, government meetings need not to include them. On 5 October 2019, after what Lam referred to as "extreme violence" had taken place, an emergency law from the colonial era was enacted to ban face masks in Hong Kong—without declaring a state of emergency—which sparked criticism from various human rights organisations. Starting from October, Lam regularly referred to the protesters as "rioters" and dismissed the protesters, despite them amassing mass support, throughout late 2019. She also allied with the police, and claimed that ending violence and restoring order, rather than responding to political demands, was what people wanted in Hong Kong.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: To cope with the ongoing protests, on 15 November 2019, the police had appointed no more than 100 Correctional Services Department (CSD) officers as special constables to assist them. In May 2020, the authorities announced they would recruit more personnel from the other five disciplinary services and bring the total number of special constables to 700. Several protesters who were detained at a correctional facility in Pik Uk reported that they had been tortured and physically abused by guards. They reported that the guards beat their hands and feet, slapped their face, then forced them to slap themselves after they were taken to a room without security camera during their time in detention.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: According to Reuters, the government contacted eight public relations firms to improve the image of the government in late September 2019, but six of them declined to participate for fear that partnering with the HKSAR government may tarnish their reputation. On 30 July 2020, the Hong Kong government made ineligible a dozen pro-democracy candidates from running in Legislative Council elections which had been scheduled for 6 September; the elections were later postponed by a year, for which the government cited a new surge in COVID-19 cases as reason. Observers noted that the delay could have been politically motivated as the pro-Beijing camp may lose their majority in the LegCo following the election. The government claimed that the disqualified candidates had colluded with foreign forces and opposed the new national security law.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: On 19 March 2021, the Macau SAR government announced that any lawmaker in the AL who supports the Hong Kong protests will be disqualified from their positions under the Macau Basic Law.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The pro-Beijing camp supported the government in promoting the bill, though U-turned when the government withdrew the bill. They condemned the use of violence by protesters, including breaking into the LegCo Complex and using petrol bombs and unidentified liquids against the police, and used the term "rubbish youths" () to refer to high school- and university-age participants. They maintained their support for the Hong Kong Police Force and held various counter-demonstrations to support them, and criticised the government for not taking enough actions to "halt the violence". Members of the Executive Council, Ip Kwok-him and Regina Ip alleged that there was a "mastermind" behind the protests but could not provide substantial evidence to support their claim.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Many lawmakers from the pan-democratic camp, such as Ted Hui and Roy Kwong, assisted the protesters in various scenarios. Responding to the escalation of the mid-August protests at the airport, the convenor of the pro-democratic caucas, Claudia Mo, while disagreeing with some protesters' actions, asserted that her group of lawmakers would not split with the protesters. Pro-democrats also condemned the arrests of and the violence directed at the protests' organisers, lawmakers and election candidates. Former government officials, including Anson Chan, the former Chief Secretary for Administration, issued several open letters to Carrie Lam, urging her to respond to the five core demands raised by protesters.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: In August, 17 members from the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce released statements condemning the escalating protests because of the instability they had brought to the city's economy and business community, as well as the negative effects on society as a whole. Annie Wu, the daughter of Maxim's Catering founder and also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, condemned the protesters at the United Nations Human Rights Council and suggested that Hong Kong should give up the "lost" protesters. On 30 October, Abraham Shek, a lawmaker representing the Real Estate and Construction constituency, supported the formation of an independent commission and said that the problem could not be resolved by only addressing the severe housing shortage. Tycoon Li Ka-shing took out a two-page advertisement in newspapers, urging people to "stop anger and violence in the name of love", and quoting a Chinese poem: "The melon of Huangtai cannot bear the picking again".


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Despite the government, the pro-Beijing camp and state media invoking the notion of a "silent majority" who opposed the protests, and urging citizens to cut ties with the "violent protesters", citizens generally favoured the pro-democratic camp and supported the protest movement. The 2019 Hong Kong District Council election, the first poll since the beginning of the protests, had been billed as a "referendum" on the government. More than 2.94 million votes were cast for a turnout rate of 71.2%, up from 1.45 million and 47% from the previous election. This was the highest turnout in Hong Kong's history, both in absolute numbers and in turnout rates. The results were a resounding landslide victory for the pro-democracy bloc, as they saw their seat share increased from 30% to almost 88%, with a jump in vote share from 40% to 57%. Among those who were also legislators, the overwhelming majority of the losing candidates were from the pro-Beijing bloc.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Reuters conducted polls in December 2019, March 2020, June 2020 and August 2020. The last poll showed that an increasing number of Hongkongers support the pro-democracy goals since the national security law was implemented. More than half of the respondents opposed the national security law. 70% wanted an independent commission of inquiry that looked into how the police handled the protests. 63% wanted universal suffrage. The support for amnesty of all arrested protesters rose to 50%. More than half of people still wanted Carrie Lam to resign. The number of people who opposed the pro-democracy demands went down to 19%. The majority (60%) still opposed Hong Kong independence, 20% supported the idea.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: The Chinese government expressed their opposition to the protests, while taking measures against the protests and their supporters. The protests were depicted by the government and media as separatist riots. Beijing accused the movement of displaying "characteristics of colour revolutions" and "signs of terrorism". The Beijing government and state-run media accused foreign forces of interfering with domestic affairs and supporting the protesters. These allegations were rejected by Hong Kong pro-democrats, and CNN noted that China had a record of blaming foreign forces for causing domestic unrest. On 22 October 2019, following protests and violence in Catalonia and Chile, the Chinese government accused Western media of hypocrisy for not providing similar coverage and support to those protests. Chinese diplomats and ambassadors in more than 70 countries broadcast Beijing's position on the protests to shape international opinion. CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang have repeatedly backed Lam's administration and the police.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Chinese state media outlets largely ignored the protests until 17 April 2019. The protests were mostly censored from Mainland Chinese social media, such as Sina Weibo, though state-owned media and Chinese social media users later condemned the protesters. State-run media pressured various companies, including railway operator MTR Corporation and airline Cathay Pacific to take a hardline approach against employees who took part in the protests. Cathay Pacific saw its top managers "reshuffled" and began firing pro-democratic employees after the Civil Aviation Administration of China threatened to block Cathay's access to Chinese airspace. Chinese media also attempted to appeal to the "silent majority" and blame the protests on Hong Kong's education system. It also hailed police officers as "heroes", and demanded the government take more "forceful" actions and the court to hand out heavy punishments. On 8March 2021, UK broadcasting authority Ofcom imposed a fine of on Chinese state broadcaster CGTN for having "failed to maintain due impartiality" in five programmes on the protests aired in2019.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Foreign envoys reported the deployment in late August of a sizeable number of People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops to Hong Kong, well beyond the usual rotation and possibly doubling the number of PLA troops compared to before the start of the protests. Drills by the People's Armed Police were observed across the border in Shenzhen in August. On 6 October 2019, the PLA issued its first warning to the protesters, who were shining laser lights on the exterior of the PLA garrison in Kowloon Tong. On 16 November, soldiers appeared publicly in the streets for the first time during the protests, in plain clothes and unarmed, to clear roadblocks and other debris left during protests alongside local residents, firefighters, and police officers before marching back to the Kowloon Tong barracks. The government insisted the soldiers were volunteers, and that it had made no request for assistance. The act was criticised by pro-democrats who deemed it a violation of the Basic Law. The Chinese government required goods mailed from mainland China to Hong Kong to be investigated while goods which were believed to relate to the protests were blocked. Chinese authorities also detained several individuals in mainland China after they voiced their support for the protesters.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: China further tightened its control in Hong Kong in 2020: on 4 January, the State Council dismissed Wang Zhimin from the role of director of the Hong Kong Liaison Office and appointed Luo Huining as his successor. The decision was widely linked to the poor performance of pro-government candidates at the District Council elections in November, and Wang's perceived poor judgment of how the protests evolved. Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Zhang Xiaoming was demoted and replaced by Xia Baolong in February 2020. The new directors triggered the Basic Law Article 22 controversy in April when they claimed that the two offices were not covered by Article 22. In May, China announced that the NPCSC, China's rubber-stamp legislative body, would directly draft a national security law for Hong Kong and skip the local legislation procedures. Political analysts believed that Beijing's action would mark the end of the "one country, two systems" principle and Hong Kong's autonomy as promised in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. On 28 May 2020, the NPC approved the controversial national security laws for Hong Kong. The legislation allows the government's national security agencies to operate in Hong Kong. On 30 June 2020, China implemented "Hong Kong national security law". Its 66 articles target crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, and includes serious penalties between 10 years of prison to life imprisonment.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: As a result of the protests, many nations issued travel warnings for Hong Kong. Demonstrations in reaction to the extradition protests also took place in various locations around the world, including: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. Solidarity rallies held by Hong Kong international students studying abroad were often met by mainland Chinese counter-protesters. Following the death of Chow Tsz-lok, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng was heckled and jostled by protest supporters in Bloomsbury Square in London; she fell to the ground and injured her arm. Some protesters in the concurrent 2019 Catalan protests have claimed inspiration from, and solidarity with the Hong Kong protests. Protesters also formed the Milk Tea Alliance with Taiwanese and Thai netizens to counter online supporters of China and trolls, but it slowly evolved into an online democratic solidarity movement that advocates for democracy in Southeast Asia.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Some protesters fled to Taiwan to avoid prosecution. The Hong Kong protests were considered a contributing factor in the landslide victory of Tsai Ing-wen during the 2020 Taiwanese presidential election. Tsai, who had repeatedly shown a supportive attitude toward the Hong Kong protesters, used the slogan "today Hong Kong, tomorrow Taiwan" during her presidential campaign, referring to the city's unrest as evidence of the threats posed by the "one country, two systems" principle to Taiwan's autonomy and democracy. Christina Lai from Academia Sinica concurred that the situation in Hong Kong created a sense of "urgency" for Taiwanese voters, as China's hardline reaction implied that they would use the same strategy to undermine Taiwan's autonomy in the future. Tsai's rejection of the principle enabled her to gain support from young voters.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: In the United States, the House of Representatives and Senate both unanimously passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in light of the extradition bill and protests. President Donald Trump signed the bill on 27 November, alongside a companion bill restricting US exports of crowd control devices to the Hong Kong police forces. Various US politicians have expressed disapproval of corporate decisions related to the protests. On 29 May 2020, Trump ordered the removal of the special status enjoyed by Hong Kong due to Beijing's new national security law for the territory, after Pompeo declared that the city was no longer autonomous from China and should therefore, be treated as any one of Chinese cities.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, urged China to uphold the promises it made in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which was a legally binding international treaty. The UK had already stopped selling crowd control equipment to the HKPF. Former UK consulate employee Simon Cheng was granted asylum in the UK in June 2020. He was previously detained by Chinese authorities who reportedly tortured him to force a confession that the UK was involved in instigating the protests, though Chinese authorities stated that he was detained for "soliciting prostitutes". On 3 June 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that if China were to continue pursuing the national security law, he would open a path to British citizenship for Hong Kong residents who were eligible for a British National (Overseas) passport (BNO). After the passing of the law on 30 June 2020, the UK confirmed these Hong Kong residents are able to come to the United Kingdom with a five-year limited leave to remain. Following those five years they will be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom and, after a further 12 months with settled status, they will be able to apply for British citizenship.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet demanded the Hong Kong government conduct an investigation into police use of force against the protesters; she previously said that she was "troubled and alarmed" by the escalating violence used by the protesters. Amnesty International praised the protesters for their dedication despite facing "abusive policing tactics" which include the "wanton use of tear gas, arbitrary arrests, physical assaults and abuses in detention". Kenneth Roth, the head of Human Rights Watch (HRW), was denied entry to Hong Kong at Hong Kong International Airport on 12 January 2020. Hong Kong officials insisted that the decision to bar Roth from entry had been made in Hong Kong, not in mainland China. In June 2020, on the first anniversary of mass protests in Hong Kong, a statement released by HRW said that the governments of both China and Hong Kong should respect fundamental rights of people.


title: 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

text: Norwegian lawmaker Guri Melby announced in October 2019 that she had nominated the Hong Kong protesters for the Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination was later endorsed by the Liberals in the Norwegian parliament. Several US members of Congress, including Marco Rubio and James McGovern, nominated the protesters in February 2020. On 28 November 2020, the British All-party parliamentary group on Hong Kong agreed to nominate Alexandra Wong, commonly known as "Grandma Wong", for the Nobel Peace Prize; Wong had been a frequent sight at the protests before disappearing for an extended period in August 2019.


title: Euphemism

text: A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes to downplay. Euphemisms may be used to mask profanity or refer to topics some consider taboo such as disability, sex, excretion, or death in a polite way.


title: Euphemism

text: "Euphemism" comes from the Greek word () which refers to the use of 'words of good omen'; it is a compound of (), meaning 'good, well', and (), meaning 'prophetic speech; rumour, talk'. "Eupheme" is a reference to the female Greek spirit of words of praise and positivity, etc. The term "euphemism" itself was used as a euphemism by the ancient Greeks; with the meaning "to keep a holy silence" (speaking well by not speaking at all).


title: Euphemism

text: Reasons for using euphemisms vary by context and intent. Commonly, euphemisms are used to avoid directly addressing subjects that might be deemed negative or embarrassing, e.g. death, sex, excretory bodily functions. They may be created for innocent, well-intentioned purposes or nefariously and cynically, intentionally to deceive and confuse.


title: Euphemism

text: Euphemisms are also used to mitigate, soften or downplay the gravity of large-scale injustices, war crimes, or other events that warrant a pattern of avoidance in official statements or documents. For instance, one reason for the comparative scarcity of written evidence documenting the exterminations at Auschwitz, relative to their sheer number, is "directives for the extermination process obscured in bureaucratic euphemisms".


title: Euphemism

text: Euphemisms are sometimes used to lessen the opposition to a political move. For example, according to linguist Ghil'ad Zuckermann, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the neutral Hebrew lexical item פעימות "peimót" ("beatings (of the heart)"), rather than נסיגה "nesigá" ("withdrawal"), to refer to the stages in the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank (see Wye River Memorandum), in order to lessen the opposition of right-wing Israelis to such a move. The lexical item פעימות "peimót", which literally means "beatings (of the heart)" is thus a euphemism for "withdrawal".


title: Euphemism

text: Euphemism may be used as a rhetorical strategy, in which case its goal is to change the valence of a description.


title: Euphemism

text: The act of labeling a term as a euphemism can in itself be controversial, as in the following two examples:


title: Euphemism

text: Phonetic euphemism is used to replace profanities and blasphemies, diminishing their intensity. Modifications include:


title: Euphemism

text: To alter the pronunciation or spelling of a taboo word (such as a swear word) to form a euphemism is known as "taboo deformation", or a minced oath. Feck is a minced oath originating in Hiberno-English and popularised outside of Ireland by the British sitcom "Father Ted". Some examples of Cockney rhyming slang may serve the same purpose: to call a person a "berk" sounds less offensive than to call a person a "cunt", though "berk" is short for Berkeley Hunt, which rhymes with "cunt".


title: Euphemism

text: Euphemisms formed from understatements include: "asleep" for dead and "drinking" for consuming alcohol. "Tired and emotional" is a notorious British euphemism for "drunk", one of many recurring jokes popularised by the satirical magazine "Private Eye"; it has been used by MPs to avoid unparliamentary language.


title: Euphemism

text: Pleasant, positive, worthy, neutral, or nondescript terms are often substituted for explicit or unpleasant ones, with many substituted terms deliberately coined by sociopolitical movements, marketing, public relations, or advertising initiatives, including:


title: Euphemism

text: Over time, it becomes socially unacceptable to use the latter word, as one is effectively downgrading the matter concerned to its former lower status, and the euphemism becomes dominant, due to a wish not to offend; see euphemism treadmill.


title: Euphemism

text: The use of a term with a softer connotation, though it shares the same meaning. For instance, "screwed up" is a euphemism for "fucked up"; "hook-up" and "laid" are euphemisms for sexual intercourse.


title: Euphemism

text: Expressions or words from a foreign language may be imported for use as euphemism. For example, the French word "enceinte" was sometimes used instead of the English word "pregnant"; "abattoir" for "slaughter-house", although in French the word retains its explicit violent meaning "a place for beating down", conveniently lost on non-French speakers. "Entrepreneur" for "business-man", adds glamour; "douche" (French: shower) for vaginal irrigation device; "bidet" (French: little pony) for "vessel for intimate ablutions". Ironically, although in English physical "handicaps" are almost always described with euphemism, in French the English word "handicap" is used as a euphemism for their problematic words "infirmité" or "invalidité".


title: Euphemism

text: Periphrasis, or circumlocution, is one of the most common: to "speak around" a given word, implying it without saying it. Over time, circumlocutions become recognized as established euphemisms for particular words or ideas.


title: Euphemism

text: Bureaucracies frequently spawn euphemisms intentionally, as doublespeak expressions. For example, in the past, the US military used the term "sunshine units" for contamination by radioactive isotopes. Even today, the United States Central Intelligence Agency refers to systematic torture as "enhanced interrogation techniques". An effective death sentence in the Soviet Union during the Great Purge often used the clause "imprisonment without right to correspondence": the person sentenced would be shot soon after conviction. As early as 1939, Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich used the term "Sonderbehandlung" ("special treatment") to mean summary execution of persons viewed as "disciplinary problems" by the Nazis even before commencing the systematic extermination of the Jews. Heinrich Himmler, aware that the word had come to be known to mean murder, replaced that euphemism with one in which Jews would be "guided" (to their deaths) through the slave-labor and extermination camps after having been "evacuated" to their doom. Such was part of the formulation of "Endlösung der Judenfrage" (the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question"), which became known to the outside world during the Nuremberg Trials.


title: Euphemism

text: Frequently, over time, euphemisms themselves become taboo words, through the linguistic process of semantic change known as pejoration, which University of Oregon linguist Sharon Henderson Taylor dubbed the "euphemism cycle" in 1974, also frequently referred to as the "euphemism treadmill". For instance, the act of human defecation is possibly the most needy candidate for a euphemism in all eras. "Toilet" is an 18th-century euphemism, replacing the older euphemism "house-of-office", which in turn replaced the even older euphemisms "privy-house" and "bog-house". In the 20th century, where the old euphemisms "lavatory" (a place where one washes) or "toilet" (a place where one dresses) had grown from widespread usage (e.g., in the United States) to being synonymous with the crude act they sought to deflect, they were sometimes replaced with "bathroom" (a place where one bathes), "washroom" (a place where one washes), or "restroom" (a place where one rests) or even by the extreme form "powder room" (a place where one applies facial cosmetics). The form "water closet", which in turn became euphemised to "W.C.", is a less deflective form.


title: Euphemism

text: Another example in American English is the replacement of "colored people" with "Negro" (euphemism by foreign language), which itself came to be replaced by either "African American" or "Black".


title: Euphemism

text: Venereal disease, which associated shameful bacterial infection with a seemingly worthy ailment emanating from Venus the goddess of love, soon lost its deflective force in the post-classical education era, as "VD", which was replaced by the three-letter initialism "STD" (sexually transmitted disease); later, "STD" was replaced by "STI" (sexually transmitted infection). (This disease/infection is not the only one that is transmissible through sexual contact, so the terms STD and STI are also more general.)


title: Euphemism

text: The word "shit" appears to have originally been a euphemism for defecation in Pre-Germanic, as the Proto-Indo-European root *"", from which it was derived, meant 'to cut off'.


title: Euphemism

text: Mentally disabled people were originally defined with words such as "morons" or "imbeciles", which then became commonly used insults. The medical diagnosis was changed to "mentally retarded", which morphed into a pejorative against those with mental disabilities. To avoid the negative connotations of their diagnoses, students who need accommodations because of such conditions are often labeled as "special needs" instead, although the word "special" has begun to crop up as a schoolyard insult. As of August 2013, the Social Security Administration replaced the term "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability". Since 2012, that change in terminology has been adopted by the National Institutes of Health and the medical industry at large. There are numerous disability-related euphemisms that have negative connotations.


title: Ox

text: An ox (: oxen, ), also known as a bullock (in BrE, AusE, and IndE), is a male bovine trained and used as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration inhibits testosterone and aggression, which makes the males docile and safer to work with. Cows (adult females) or bulls (intact males) may also be used in some areas.


title: Ox

text: Oxen are used for plowing, for transport (pulling carts, hauling wagons and even riding), for threshing grain by trampling, and for powering machines that grind grain or supply irrigation among other purposes. Oxen may be also used to skid logs in forests, particularly in low-impact, select-cut logging.


title: Ox

text: Oxen are usually yoked in pairs. Light work such as carting household items on good roads might require just one pair, while for heavier work, further pairs would be added as necessary. A team used for a heavy load over difficult ground might exceed nine or ten pairs.


title: Ox

text: Working oxen are taught to respond to the signals of the "teamster", "bullocky" or "ox-driver". These signals are given by verbal command and body language, reinforced by a goad, whip or a long pole (which also serves as a measure of length: see rod). In pre-industrial times, most teamsters were known for their loud voices and forthright language.


title: Ox

text: Verbal commands for draft animals vary widely throughout the world. In North America, the most common commands are:


title: Ox

text: In the New England tradition, young castrated cattle selected for draft are known as "working steers" and are painstakingly trained from a young age. Their teamster makes or buys as many as a dozen yokes of different sizes for each animal as it grows. The steers are normally considered fully trained at the age of four and only then become known as oxen.


title: Ox

text: A tradition in southeastern England was to use oxen (often Sussex cattle) as dual-purpose animals: for draft and beef. A plowing team of eight oxen normally consisted of four pairs aged a year apart.


title: Ox

text: Each year, a pair of steers of about three years of age would be bought for the team and trained with the older animals. The pair would be kept for about four years, then sold at about seven years old to be fattened for beef – thus covering much of the cost of buying that year's new pair. Use of oxen for plowing survived in some areas of England (such as the South Downs) until the early twentieth century.


title: Ox

text: Pairs of oxen were always hitched the same way round, and they were often given paired names. In southern England it was traditional to call the near-side (left) ox of a pair by a single-syllable name and the off-side (right) one by a longer one (for example: Lark and Linnet, Turk and Tiger).


title: Ox

text: Ox trainers favor larger animals for their ability to do more work. Oxen are therefore usually of larger breeds, and are usually males because they are generally larger. Females can also be trained as oxen, but as well as being smaller, are often more valued for producing calves and milk. Bulls (intact males) are also used in many parts of the world, especially Asia and Africa.


title: Ox

text: Working oxen usually require shoes, although in England not all working oxen were shod. Since their hooves are cloven, two shoes are required for each hoof, as opposed to a single horseshoe. Ox shoes are usually of approximately half-moon or banana shape, either with or without caulkins, and are fitted in symmetrical pairs to the hooves. Unlike horses, oxen are not easily able to balance on three legs while a farrier shoes the fourth.


title: Ox

text: In England, shoeing was accomplished by throwing the ox to the ground and lashing all four feet to a heavy wooden tripod until the shoeing was complete. A similar technique was used in Serbia and, in a simpler form, in India, where it is still practiced.


title: Ox

text: In Italy, where oxen may be very large, shoeing is accomplished using a massive framework of beams in which the animal can be partly or completely lifted from the ground by slings passed under the body; the feet are then lashed to lateral beams or held with a rope while the shoes are fitted.


title: Ox

text: Such devices were made of wood in the past, but may today be of metal. Similar devices are found in France, Austria, Germany, Spain, Canada and the United States, where they may be called ox slings, ox presses or shoeing stalls.


title: Ox

text: The system was sometimes adopted in England also, where the device was called a crush or trevis; one example is recorded in the Vale of Pewsey. The shoeing of an ox partly lifted in a sling is the subject of John Singer Sargent's painting "Shoeing the Ox", while "A Smith Shoeing an Ox" by Karel Dujardin shows an ox being shod standing, tied to a post by the horns and balanced by supporting the raised hoof.


title: Ox

text: Oxen can pull heavier loads, and pull for a longer period of time than horses depending on weather conditions.


title: Ox

text: On the other hand, they are also slower than horses, which has both advantages and disadvantages; their pulling style is steadier, but they cannot cover as much ground in a given period of time. For agricultural purposes, oxen are more suitable for heavy tasks such as breaking sod or plowing in wet, heavy, or clay-filled soil.


title: Ox

text: When hauling freight, oxen can move very heavy loads in a slow and steady fashion. They are at a disadvantage compared to horses when it is necessary to pull a plow or load of freight relatively quickly.


title: Ox

text: For millennia, oxen also could pull heavier loads because of the use of the yoke, which was designed to work best with the neck and shoulder anatomy of cattle. Until the invention of the horse collar, which allowed the horse to engage the pushing power of its hindquarters in moving a load, horses could not pull with their full strength because the yoke was incompatible with their anatomy (yokes press on their chest, inhibiting their breathing).


title: Audi TT

text: The Audi TT is a 2-door production sports car made by Audi since 1998, and currently in its third generation. The first two generations were assembled by the Audi subsidiary Audi Hungaria Motor Kft. in Győr, Hungary, using bodyshells manufactured and painted at Audi's Ingolstadt plant and parts made entirely by the Hungarian factory for the third generation.


title: Audi TT

text: For each of its three generations, the TT has been available as a 2+2 coupé and as a two-seater roadster employing consecutive generations of the Volkswagen Group A platform, starting with the A4 (PQ34). As a result of this platform-sharing, the Audi TT has identical powertrain and suspension layouts as its related platform-mates; including a front-mounted transversely oriented engine, front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, and fully independent front suspension using MacPherson struts.


title: Audi TT

text: The styling of the Audi TT began in the spring of 1994 at the Volkswagen Group Design Center in California. The TT was first shown as a concept car at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show. The design is credited to J Mays and Freeman Thomas, with Hartmut Warkuss, Peter Schreyer, Martin Smith and Romulus Rost contributing to the interior design.


title: Audi TT

text: The Audi TT takes its name from the successful motor racing tradition of NSU in the British Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) motorcycle race. NSU marque began competing at the Isle of Man TT in 1907 with the UK manager Martin Geiger finishing in fifth position in the single-cylinder race. The 1938 Isle of Man Lightweight TT race was won by Ewald Kluge with a 250 cc supercharged DKW motor-cycle and the DKW and NSU companies later merged into the company now known as Audi. The Audi TT also follows the NSU 1000TT, 1200TT and TTS cars of the 1960s in taking their names from the race. The TT name has also been attributed to the phrase "Technology & Tradition".


title: Audi TT

text: The production model (internal designation "Type" 8N) was launched as a coupé in September 1998, followed by a roadster in August 1999. It is based on the Volkswagen Group A4 (PQ34) platform as used for the Volkswagen Golf Mk4, the original Audi A3, the Škoda Octavia, and others. The styling differed little from the concept, except for slightly reprofiled bumpers, and the addition of rear quarterlight windows behind the doors. Factory production commenced in October 1998.


title: Audi TT

text: Early TT models received press coverage following a series of high-speed accidents and the related fatalities which occurred at speeds in excess of during abrupt lane changes or sharp turns. Both the coupé and roadster variants were recalled in late 1999/early 2000, to improve predictability of the car's handling at very high speeds. Audi's Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) or Anti Slip Regulation (ASR) and rear spoiler were added, along with modifications to the suspension system. All changes were incorporated into subsequent production.


title: Audi TT

text: The Audi TT was nominated for the "North American Car of the Year" award for 2000. It was also on "Car and Driver" magazine's Ten Best list for 2000 and 2001. By 2003, Audi had provided a "face-lift" to the TT, with a number of small styling and practicality improvements.


title: Audi TT

text: Mechanically, the TT shares an identical powertrain layout with its related Volkswagen Group-mates. The TT uses a transversely mounted internal combustion engine, with either front-wheel drive or 'quattro four-wheel drive' available as an option. It was first available with a 1.8-litre inline four-cylinder 20-valve turbocharged engine in two states of DIN-rated power outputs; and . The engines share the same fundamental design, but the 225 PS version features a larger K04 turbocharger (180 PS version came with a smaller K03), an additional intercooler on the left side (complementing the existing right-side intercooler), larger 20mm wrist-pins, a dual tailpipe exhaust, intake manifold with inlet on driver's side, and a few other internals – designed to accommodate the increase in turbo boost, from roughly peak, to . Haldex Traction enabled four-wheel drive, 'branded' as "Quattro" was optional on the 180 engine, and standard on the more powerful 225 version.


title: Audi TT

text: The original four-cylinder engine range was complemented with a VR6 engine rated at and of torque in early 2003, which came as standard with the quattro four-wheel-drive system. In July 2003, a new six-speed dual clutch transmission – dubbed the Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG), which improves acceleration through much-reduced shift times, was offered, along with a stiffer suspension.


title: Audi TT

text: In 2005, Audi released the Coupé-only limited edition to 1,165 pieces. 800 with steering wheel on the right side/ 365 with steering wheel on the left side. (900 sold in the UK, not the 1,000 originally planned) (known as the in Europe) or TT QS. Built by AUDI AG's high-performance specialist subsidiary quattro GmbH, it had increased power from its 1.8-litre turbocharged engine – rising to and of torque – and a reduction in weight of to , which allowed for a time of 5.9 seconds, and an electronically limited top speed of .


title: Audi TT

text: This weight reduction was achieved by removing the spare wheel, rear harmonic damper, rear parcel shelf and rear seats, and the standard fitment air conditioning. The main battery was also relocated to the rear of the vehicle in order to maintain weight distribution as much as possible. Lightweight fixed-back Recaro bucket seats graced the interior. Distinguishable from other TT Coupés by its two-tone paint scheme (Phantom Black pearl painted roof, pillars and mirror housings, in combination with either Avus Silver, Phantom Black, Mauritius Blue or Misano Red body colour) and unique 18" 15-spoke cast aluminium alloy wheels, plus the same body kit as fitted to the TT 3.2 V6, the TT quattro Sport also featured black exhaust tailpipes and uprated suspension settings and new wheels, ½" wider at the rear for improved handling. The brochure stated V6-spec brakes were to be fitted, however models delivered in the UK came with the standard 225 spec brake callipers which were red-painted.


title: Audi TT

text: There were two United States class action lawsuits affecting specific model years of the first generation TT.


title: Audi TT

text: On 22 June 2007, Pearson, Simon, Soter, Warshaw & Penny, LLP and the Law Office of Robert L. Starr filed a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen Group of America, alleging that the timing belts for model year 1999–2003 Audi and Volkswagen vehicles equipped with a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine fail prematurely. The vehicles included are the Audi TT, Audi A4 and Volkswagen Passat. The complaint alleged that the timing belts failed prior to the service interval, as stated in the owner's manual. The parties have reached a class-wide settlement, and preliminary approval of the settlement was granted by the court on 19 May 2008.


title: Audi TT

text: On 22 May 2008, the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, entered an order preliminarily approving a nationwide settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by Green Welling LLP, on behalf of all current and prior owners and lessees of 2000–2004, and 2005 model year Audi TTs. The lawsuit and settlement related to allegedly defective instrument clusters, and Audi TT owners are entitled to submit claims for repairs, replacement and/or cash reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses, and all TT owners covered by the suit will receive a two-year extension of their existing four-year warranty (limited to the instrument cluster).


title: Audi TT

text: For the 30th anniversary Quattro gmbH unveiled an Imola Yellow TT that sported a 2.7 L Bi-Turbo V6 engine from a B5 Audi RS4 that produced and at 2,500 rpm which was manufactured in 2001. This was accomplished by using a B5 RS4 donor car, which included engine, transmission, rear differential, axles, brakes, and wheels from a B5 Avant. Using the RS4 drivetrain, Audi had the ability to utilize a Torsen based 6-speed Quattro manual transmission in a car that is normally using a transverse engine layout and Haldex based all wheel drive system.


title: Audi TT

text: In August 2004, Audi announced that the next generation TT would be manufactured using aluminium, and would go into production in 2007. A preview of the second-generation TT was provided in the form of the Audi Shooting Brake concept car, shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005. This concept was an insight into the new TT, but featured angular styling, and a "shooting-brake" two-door hatchback body style.


title: Audi TT

text: Audi debuted the second-generation TT, internal designation "Type" 8J, on 6 April 2006, using the Volkswagen Group A5 (PQ35) platform with aluminium front bodypanels, and steel in the rear, to enhance its near-neutral front-to-rear weight distribution. Available in front-wheel drive or 'quattro' four-wheel drive layout, the TT is again offered as a 2+2 Coupé, and as a two-seater Roadster. The second generation is five inches longer and three inches wider than its predecessor. Factory production commenced during August 2006.


title: Audi TT

text: The powertrain options initially only included petrol engines, which consist of either one of two inline four-cylinder engines – the all-new 1.8-litre EA888 Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Injection (TFSI) (available initially only in Germany, later elsewhere from mid 2009), or the more common and established EA113-variant 2.0-litre TFSI. The Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) technology was derived from the Audi Le Mans endurance race cars, and offers improved fuel efficiency as well as an increased power output and cleaner emissions. The 3.2-litre 'V6' badged VR6 engine is carried over from the previous generation, and this engine was also available in the Canadian model. 2.0 TFSI quattro models, with the latest EA888 engine, became available in 2009 model year.


title: Audi TT

text: A six-speed manual transmission is standard, with the six-speed Direct-Shift Gearbox (now called "S-TRONIC" on all Audi models) as an option for all engines. Quattro on-demand four-wheel drive, again using the Haldex Traction clutch is available – standard on V6 models, but not available on the 1.8 TFSI.


title: Audi TT

text: Like all its PQ35 platform-mates, the new 8J TT now has a multi-link fully independent rear suspension to complement the front independent suspension. The entire suspension system can be enhanced with Audi's new active suspension, "Audi Magnetic Ride", available as an option. This is based on BWI Group's MagneRide, which uses magneto rheological dampers (this means that an electronic control unit for the suspension will automatically adjust its damping properties depending on the current road conditions and driving manner).


title: Audi TT

text: The new TT also features a revised rear spoiler which preserves the clean aesthetics of the TT when not raised. The spoiler automatically deploys at speeds greater than to increase down-force, and retracts again below . The spoiler can also be manually controlled by the driver via a switch on the lower centre console. Manual operation by the switch reverts to automatic operation (i.e.: manual mode is cancelled) if the vehicle speed rises above the stated limit.


title: Audi TT

text: Launched at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, Audi offered the first diesel engined version of the Audi TT in the European market, the . As its name indicates, it is only available with four-wheel-drive, and is also available in Coupé and Roadster versions. Power comes from the new 2.0-litre Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) engine, now with 16 valves, double overhead camshaft (DOHC), common rail fuel delivery and eight-hole piezo fuel injectors, which produces a DIN-rated output of at 4,200 rpm and torque of at 1,750 to 2,500 rpm. It includes a six-speed manual transmission.


title: Audi TT

text: Acceleration from standstill to on the Coupé is achieved in 7.5 seconds, and it will go on to reach a top speed of . The slightly less aerodynamically efficient Roadster reaches in 7.7 seconds, with a top speed of .


title: Audi TT

text: Audi claim average fuel consumption for the Coupé variant with this 2.0 TDI engine is , which achieves a CO emissions rating of 139 gram/km. The Roadster TDI achieves an average and CO of 144 gram/km.


title: Audi TT

text: As an additional package a standard Audi TT can be bought from factory with a special body kit upgrade to make it look like the Audi TT-RS version. The upgrade includes a fixed rear spoiler, and Alcantara/leather sports seats (Silk Nappa, Fine Nappa leather optional).


title: Audi TT

text: At the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Audi released the first Audi "S" model of the TT range – the Audi TTS quattro, with a heavily revised 2.0 TFSI engine. The cylinder block, cylinder head and the fuel injectors have all been modified from the base 2.0 TFSI engine (ID: CDL). Together with other modifications, this engine produces a DIN-rated power output of , and generates a torque of from 2,500 to 5,000 rpm.


title: Audi TT

text: It was available with a choice of either a six-speed close-ratio manual transmission, or a six-speed 'S tronic' transmission. In the United States, the S tronic gearbox was the only available transmission. Like all Audi "S" models, it was only available with four-wheel drive as standard.


title: Audi TT

text: The suspension was lowered by over the standard models, and includes "Audi Magnetic Ride" as standard and a new two-stage sports-biased Electronic Stability Programme (ESP). Radially ventilated front disc brakes are clamped by a single-piston gloss black caliper emblazoned with a bold "TTS" logo, and a lap timer is prominent in the centre of the instrument cluster. 9Jx18" '5-parallel-spoke' design alloy wheels are standard, with 245/40 ZR18 high-performance tyres. 19" '5-spoke star' wheels and tyres are optional. The exterior has some changes over the standard model – with a TTS body styling: with redesigned front, with larger air intakes, redesigned rear bumper, side sill extensions, and four exhaust tailpipes.


title: Audi TT

text: Official performance figures include a acceleration time of 5.2 seconds, with the Roadster four-tenths slower at 5.6 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to .


title: Audi TT

text: Audi UK offered eight TTS cars for official use by the race organisers at the 2008 Isle of Man TT motorcycle races.


title: Audi TT

text: In 2014, at the International Motor Show in Geneva, Audi unveiled the new TTS model for the 2016 model year, alongside the standard 2016 Audi TT model. Both models were planned to go on sale in the beginning of 2015.


title: Audi TT

text: Audi displayed a new show car variant of the second generation Audi TT – the Audi TT Clubsport quattro, at the 2008 Wörthersee Tour at Pörtschach am Wörthersee in Austria. Shown only in an open-topped 'speedster' variant, its 2.0 TFSI engine has been tuned to give . The soft-top on the standard TT Roadster has been deleted, and replaced with two 'humps', along with two substantial roll bars. LED daytime running lamps, an aggressive body kit with large frontal air intakes, black-painted 'single frame grille' and a lower spoiler lip complete the new look from the front. The axle track has been widened by , with bolder and wider wheel arch extensions, polished 19-inch alloys, wider side sills and 255-section tyres are the highlight of the side profile. At the rear, twin polished stainless steel oval tail pipes exit aside a new rear diffuser.


title: Audi TT

text: Racing bucket seats, along with lightweight aluminium detail complete the interior look, and a six-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission with quattro four-wheel drive and TTS spec brakes ( up front, and at the rear) complete the mechanicals.


title: Audi TT

text: Whilst the TT Clubsport quattro is primarily a 'show car', Audi has not ruled out the possibility of small-scale production.


title: Audi TT

text: With its world debut at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, and developed by Audi's high-performance subsidiary quattro GmbH at Neckarsulm, Germany, Audi released the first ever compact sports car Audi "RS" variant – the , which was available from 2009 in Coupé and Roadster variants. The TT RS featured an all-new 2.5-litre Inline-5 turbocharged petrol engine. This new engine produces a DIN-rated power output of from 5,400 to 6,700 rpm, and torque of at 1,600–5,300 rpm.


title: Audi TT

text: Ever since the original Audi "RS" model – the Audi RS2 Avant – all Audi "RS" models were assembled at the quattro GmbH factory in Neckarsulm. The TT RS is the first Audi RS vehicle that didn't have any of its assembly performed in Neckarsulm but was completely assembled in the Audi factory in Győr, Hungary, alongside the base Audi TT.


title: Audi TT

text: The TT RS has a new short-shift close-ratio six-speed manual transmission, and like all "RS" models, is only available with four-wheel-drive, with the TT RS using a specially adapted version of the latest generation multi-plate clutch from Haldex Traction. Additions to the quattro system include a constant velocity joint before the cardan propeller shaft, and a compact rear-axle differential – upgraded to cope with the increased torque from the five-cylinder turbo engine.


title: Audi TT

text: Like the TTS, the TT RS has a lower ride height, optional "Audi Magnetic Ride", and rides on standard 18-inch wheels with 245/45 ZR18 tyres (optional 19" or 20" wheels are also available). The brakes are upgraded to include two-piece cross-drilled and radially vented front discs, sized at in diameter. The front discs are clamped by gloss black painted four-piston calipers, adorned with the "RS" logo. Rear ventilated discs are sized at in diameter.


title: Audi TT

text: It includes a fixed rear spoiler (retractable optional), and has black interior with heated Alcantara/leather sports seats (Silk Nappa, Fine Nappa leather optional). The Recaro "RS bucket" seats, first seen in the Audi B7 RS4 are also available as an option. Also carried over from the B7 RS4 is the 'Sport' button, which sharpens the throttle response and deepens the exhaust note, and a three-stage user-selectable Electronic Stability Programme (ESP).


title: Audi TT

text: Official performance figures indicate the TT RS Coupé will accelerate from a standstill to in 4.5 seconds (4.7 seconds for the Roadster), with an electronically limited top speed of . There is a factory option to de-restrict the top speed to . The Coupé has a kerb weight of , and the Roadster weighs in at .


title: Audi TT

text: As of 2010 the TT-RS is available with the 7-speed DSG automatic transmission capable of handling the torque delivered by the engine. The 6-speed gearbox used in the TT-S cannot cope with which is why the TT-RS initially was offered only with a manual transmission.


title: Audi TT

text: In 2010, the TT-RS was confirmed for the US market. The decision was influenced by an internet petition to bring the TT-RS stateside, which succeeded with over 11,000 signatures. The TT-RS arrived in Q3 2011 as a 2012 model.


title: Audi TT

text: In 2012, the TT RS plus was launched. It featured the uprated version of the TT RS' engine that had originally been developed for the RS Q3 concept car; this version of the engine produces at 5500 rpm, and of torque at 1650 rpm. As a result of this power increase, Audi claimed that the 0- time had decreased to 4.3 seconds for the manual version, and 4.1 seconds for the S-tronic version. In addition to this, Audi raised the top speed limiter, with the TT RS plus being restricted to .


title: Audi TT

text: Audi was reported to stop offering 3.2-litre V6 ("VR6") models in North America from 2010 model year.


title: Audi TT

text: The second generation TT has been honoured with many awards, including the inaugural "Drive Car of the Year", Top Gear "Coupé of the Year 2006", Fifth Gear "Car of the Year 2006", Autobild "Most Beautiful Car", and "World Design Car of the Year 2007", as well as being a finalist for "World Car of the Year". In addition, an HPA-prepared version of the car was the winner of the SEMA Gran Turismo Award in 2007.The Audi TT has been the What Car? best Coupe of the Year for six consecutive years since 2007.


title: Audi TT

text: A 2019 iSeeCars study named the TT as the longest-lasting sports car most likely to exceed 150,000 miles.


title: Audi TT

text: Like its predecessor, the Audi TT FV/8S was previewed in the form of the Audi Allroad Shooting Brake concept car, shown at the Detroit Motor Show in 2014.


title: Audi TT

text: The third generation of the TT was unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. The FV/8S generation utilises the Volkswagen Group MQB platform, and is available with a choice of TFSI and TDI engines. The 2.0 TFSI is available in two versions: a version producing and of torque in the TT and a version producing and of torque in the TTS. A 2.0 TDI Inline-four engine producing and of torque is also available as an option for the TT. The TFSI engines are available with all wheel drive. The TDI comes in front wheel drive configuration, but was then later released with the Audi's quattro all wheel drive.


title: Audi TT

text: The interior of the third generation Audi TT is notable for its HVAC design, featuring temperature and airflow controls that are embedded in the air-vents themselves, hence improving ergonomics.


title: Audi TT

text: It was announced in May 2019 that the current generation TT would be the last, and it would be discontinued at the end of the model's lifecycle.


title: Audi TT

text: In 2016, the MQB-based Audi TT RS coupé and roadster were announced with the five-cylinder 2.5 litre TFSI engine now producing and of torque between 1,700 and 5,850 rpm. Audi's all-wheel drive quattro system is the standard layout and the only transmission option is the 7-speed S tronic automatic transmission.


title: Audi TT

text: Audi discontinued the TT RS in the United States after the 2022 model year, so they released the TT RS Heritage Edition, a special edition available in five colors and produced in just 50 units. Ten of each color will be made, each color representing a Ur-Quattro rally champion:


title: Audi TT

text: Audi Sport Performance Parts were available from 2018 to 2020 from Audi Dealerships in Europe. These parts were designed to improve dynamic handling for the Audi R8 and the Audi TT models. The retrofit range were available as add-on features for new car buyers who ordered their cars as a new car customer build. Only 15 fully built example cars were made complete with all the features from the Audi Sport Factory which were distributed around the world for the purpose of International car shows. The 15 Factory built TT RS Audi Sport Performance parts edition cars had their own build type and known as ultra rare around the world. 13 are known to be in Europe (LHD) and 2 in Australia (RHD).


title: Audi TT

text: In October 2022, Audi launched the TT RS Coupe Iconic Edition, available only in Europe and produced in just 100 units, of which only 11 are right-hand drive for the UK market.


title: Audi TT

text: In auto racing, the Istook's Motorsports team has currently entered a Revo Technik-sponsored Audi TT in the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner (ST) class.


title: Audi TT

text: Under the racing name of RS Werkes, Istook's Motorsports out of Fort Worth, Texas, built and raced the first TT RS brought into the United States in the Grand Am GS class in 2012, 2013 and 2014.


title: Audi TT

text: Istook's Motorsports has also raced the TT in SCCA's World Challenge race series. Because of their racing involvement, they received the first U.S. Version of the TT-RS in July 2011.


title: Audi TT

text: The Audi TT Offroad Concept was unveiled as an SUV concept version of the Audi TT at the 2014 Auto China. The SUV utilized a hybrid system coupled with the 2.0-litre TFSI Inline-4 engine producing a total of and of torque. The SUV utilises a 6-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. The hybrid system consists of a electric motor on the front axle and an electric motor on the rear axle. In full EV mode, the vehicle uses the rear motor only; Hybrid and Sport modes utilise all three power sources, and all-wheel-drive traction is applied as needed. Performance figures include a acceleration time of 5.2 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of . The distinguishing features of the concept include matrix LED headlights and two new assistance systems: One that scans intersections for potentially dangerous situations, and a second that connects to a municipality's traffic-light system in order to recommend a perfect speed to reach the next light when it is green. The interior is relatively close to the TT's with leather upholstery from Italian fashion brand Poltrona Frau and features a high-tech TFT display in front of the driver populated with the information that would normally be projected onto a central, dash-mounted screen—i.e. navigation, entertainment. The trunk of the vehicle contains a 1:8 scale RC car as a souvenir.


title: Audi TT

text: Due to Audi's heavy sponsorship of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the TTS coupe made a cameo in and a convertible TTS was driven by Peter Parker in .


title: Chris Bosh

text: Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bosh was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors.


title: Chris Bosh

text: While at Toronto, Bosh became a five-time NBA All-Star, was named to the All-NBA Second Team once, played for the U.S. national team (with whom he won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics), and supplanted former fan favorite Vince Carter as the face and leader of the Raptors franchise. In the 2006–07 season, Bosh led the Raptors to their first playoff appearance in five years and their first-ever division title. He left Toronto in 2010 as the franchise's all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, and minutes played.


title: Chris Bosh

text: In 2010, after seven seasons with the Raptors, Bosh entered into a sign-and-trade deal whereby he was traded to the Miami Heat. In Miami, he joined fellow stars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James; the trio became known as the Big Three. Bosh spent the second half of his career with Miami, appearing in the NBA Finals each year from 2011 to 2014 and winning NBA titles in 2012 and 2013. He made the NBA All-Star team every year during his time in Miami. Bosh's career was cut short by a blood clotting condition that the NBA ruled to be a career-ending illness. He played his final NBA game on February 9, 2016. Notwithstanding the NBA's ruling, Bosh fought to resume his playing career for three years before announcing in February 2019 that he intended to retire. The same year, the Heat retired his No. 1 jersey. In 2021, Bosh was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.


title: Chris Bosh

text: Seeking to promote sports and education amongst youths in Dallas and Toronto, Bosh set up the Chris Bosh Foundation and regularly speaks to youths about the benefits of reading.


title: Chris Bosh

text: Born to Noel and Freida Bosh in Dallas, Texas, Bosh was raised in Hutchins, a suburb of the city. A family-oriented person, Bosh would often play basketball in the house with his younger brother, Joel. At the early age of four years old, he started learning how to dribble a basketball in the gym where his father played pick-up games. Since Bosh was always tall for his age, he was accustomed to out-rebounding his peers whenever he played; but he only started learning the game of basketball seriously around fourth grade, doing so at a playground near his grandmother's house.


title: Chris Bosh

text: As a child, Bosh participated in karate and gymnastics. He also played baseball up until high school, chiefly as a first baseman according to his preference.


title: Chris Bosh

text: Growing up, Bosh names his parents as the biggest influence on his personality and considers NBA superstar Kevin Garnett as his favorite athlete, after whom he modeled his play. Academically, Bosh always excelled in school as he was a member of the National Honor Society and several student engineering organizations.


title: Chris Bosh

text: Bosh began garnering significant attention from college recruiters after he led Lincoln High School in Dallas to the number one ranking in the country and to the "USA Today" National Championship with a perfect 40–0 season.


title: Chris Bosh

text: The 6-foot-11 teenager helped Lincoln High capture the Class 4A state title as he delivered 23 points and 17 rebounds to go along with 9 blocks. Bosh was subsequently named High School Player of the Year by Basketball America; Powerade Player of the Year in Texas; a first-team All-American by "Parade", McDonald's, and EA Sports; a second-team all-American by "USA Today" and "SLAM" Magazine; a first-team all-state player; and "Mr. Basketball" in Texas by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. With his combination of grades and basketball skills, Bosh's name was on a number of college recruiting lists. The University of Florida and University of Memphis among them made serious overtures, but it was Paul Hewitt, coach of Georgia Tech, who made the best impression. Bosh felt that Hewitt had his best interests at heart and respected his aspiration to play professionally; moreover, he was sufficiently impressed by what he saw of Georgia Tech's transition offense.


title: Chris Bosh

text: Bosh eventually chose to follow the footsteps of his cousin and aunt and attended Georgia Tech to study graphic design and computer imaging, and subsequently, management. There, he led the Yellow Jackets in averaging 15.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 31 games, and led the Atlantic Coast Conference in field goal percentage (.560), joining Antawn Jamison as the only freshmen ever to do so. Bosh originally intended to complete his degree, but by the end of the 2002–03 season, his strong performances convinced him that he was ready for the NBA. He left Georgia Tech after his freshman season and entered the 2003 NBA draft. Bosh said in future interviews that although he misses his college days, he believes he made the right decision to pursue a professional career.


title: Chris Bosh

text: In what is widely regarded as one of the strongest draft classes in NBA history, which included future All-Stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade, Bosh was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2003 NBA draft and was signed on July 8, 2003. Prior to his signing, however, other NBA teams made offers for Bosh as they knew Toronto needed a veteran scorer, and Raptors star Vince Carter himself pressed for a trade. General Manager Glen Grunwald turned everyone down.