The Alliance for Peace and Democracy (, formerly , literally: "The Protect-Universal Suffrage and Anti-Occupy Central Alliance") is a pro-Beijing political group based in Hong Kong. It was founded on 3 July 2014 by members of the pro-Beijing alliance including 40 pro-Beijing groups and scholars, many of whom are also members of the pro-Beijing group Silent Majority for Hong Kong, and was backed by the pro-Beijing Parties Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions and The New People's Party.
The Alliance was established to counter the Occupy Central movement, and it received widespread media attention when it launched a month-long signature campaign for people who oppose the Occupy Central Movement, which lasted from 19 July to 17 August 2014. The campaign claimed it had collected over a million signatures supporting the campaign, although questions were raised over credibility of the number of signatures collected. Despite the Alliance's efforts, the Occupy Central movement commenced officially on 27 September 2014, giving rise to the 2014 Hong Kong protests which was severely criticised by the Alliance. The Alliance also admitted that they underestimated the impact of the movement.
The Alliance subsequently launched a second signature campaign after the commencement of the Occupy Central movement, demanding protesters to "free our roads" and to "restore law and order". It lasted from 25 October 2014 to 2 November 2014. A third signature campaign was held by the alliance after the Occupy Central movement from 9 May 2015 to 17 May 2015, amassing support for the 2014–15 Hong Kong electoral reform.
First Signature campaign
On 19 July 2014, the Alliance launched a signature campaign for "people who support democracy and universal suffrage, but oppose violence and the Occupy Central Movement" (). According to the Alliance's spokesman Robert Chow, the Alliance aims to collect at least 800,000 signature, likely an attempt to top the nearly 790,000 votes cast in Occupy Central's unofficial referendum held in June 2014. On 2 August 2014, the Alliance further launched an online platform to collect signatures from people who oppose Occupy Central's campaign.
The authority official endorsements include chief executive CY Leung and other top Hong Kong officials, including Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam, Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Gregory So and Secretary for Development Paul Chan. The Alliance claimed it had collected over 1.5 million signatures at the end of the campaign.
Media and individuals, especially those support the pro-democracy camp, have questioned the credibility of the signature campaign. They have noted that no measures were put in place to prevent repeated signatures in the campaign, as people who sign will be asked for only the letter and first four digits of their HKID cards. According to some press reports, employees might have faced pressure to sign petition forms that were being circulated by department heads in some companies, including Town Gas, a major public utility.
"Run for Peace and Democracy" before parade
The Alliance held a 3.2-km "Run for Peace and Democracy" as a prelude to the Anti-"Occupy Central" Parade from Victoria Park to the Chater Road in Central. The Alliance had called for 10,000 people to take part in the fun run. On 17 August 2014, the organisers claimed 1,500 participants took part in the race, while the police estimated 880.
Anti-"Occupy Central" parade
Culminating their petition campaign, the Alliance held an anti-"Occupy Central" parade on 17 August 2014, where participants will be able to dedicate kapok (Bombax ceiba) flowers at Chater Garden or Statue Square to show their discontent towards the Occupy Central Movement, their desire for peace in Central as well as their support for universal suffrage. The alliance declared that over 320 organisations and groups had pledged to join the rallies, and they expected a turnout of 50,000 to 60,000.
The Alliance initially claimed that 193,000 people took part in the parade, but it later changed the figure to 250,000, while the Hong Kong police set the figure at 111,800 and the University of Hong Kong Public Opinion Programme put the maximum number of participants at 88,000.