Macau, which is on the southern coast of China, across the island of Hong Kong, is a wealthy autonomous city and former colony of the Portuguese empire. Situated in a region with high geopolitical tensions and civilian opposition to authoritarian rule, Macau is known as a site of relative peace. But was this always the case?
On December 3rd, 1966, massive protests against Portuguese police brutality broke out in the city. What started as nonviolent demonstrations ended with violent results as 8 civilians were killed, 62 arrested, and 212 were injured. The event would become known as the 123 Incident, a name inspired by the date it took place on. Given the peaceful status of Macau today, one is left wondering how Macau got to where it is now…
Currently, not much scholarship exists on the incident. Contemporary discussions of the event are often related to the present-day protests in Hong Kong and China. Meanwhile, historians tend to focus on Macau within the larger history of Maoism in the East, dismissing the context of global decolonization and anti-imperialism. I argue that framing the 123 Incident in both these contexts, as well as the greater history of nonviolent resistance is integral in understanding the significance of what happened on December 3rd.
To begin thinking about the Incident’s significance, we must hone in on Macau’s past as a Portuguese colony and examine how Macau, Portugal, and the rest of the world reacted to the events that took place that day. I believe that studying these reactions can deepen our understanding of the imperial relationship between Portugal and Macau, and can help us answer our main research question.
What does the 123 Incident represent in the larger history of the Portuguese empire?
Such a question encourages us to ask even more: How did Macau, Portugal, and the world react to the transformation of this nonviolent demonstration to a violent incident? To the different actors involved, was the violence inevitable or expected within the Portuguese colonial system? Did the event change people’s view of the Portuguese and their way of ruling Macau? Did violence help participants achieve the goals of what was originally a non-violent movement?
The research of how the Incident was documented and covered primarily by Macau, Portugal, China, and the US, presented on this site reveals that the event was a key turning point in the history of Portuguese presence in the east. It represents a moment of transformation in the way violence existed within the Portuguese empire: Once used to exert Portuguese dominance and strengthen the empire, violence after the Incident undermined their own power and forced Portugal to concede sovereignty.
To better understand how violence was perceived in this moment, we must understand what is non-violent or justifiable violence. Theorist Judith Butler offers us a framework to consider in their book The Force of Nonviolence, in which the difference between violence of the regime and the violence that seeks to take it down is discussed and debated (Butler 2020).
Macau clearly saw the events on December 3rd, and also the violence leading up to the incident in the month prior to be unnecessary acts of cruelty, emphasized by the fact that these demonstrations were civilian led. At the same time, the Portuguese eventually acknowledged their wrongdoing after being condemned by multiple parties, including the United States and China. In the aftermath, there is a global understanding that the Incident marks the downfall of the Portuguese empire, which I believe speaks to the transformation of how violence existed within Portugal’s colonial system.
The event was one of many key turning points in the history of Portugal’s declining empire, representing a transformation in the way Portuguese colonial violence was perceived.
Ultimately, this research project sets out to fill a gap in the literature revolving around Portugal’s waning presence in East Asia, which has been the area of little focus in academia. It strives to refocus the map and place importance on Macau within the historical discussion of Portugal’s global presence and to help us understand the complexities of resistance on a deeper level.
Terms and Clarifications:
For the purpose of this site, Portuguese spelling Macau will be used rather than the English spelling Macao. Furthermore, the term Macau people (澳門人) will refer to those residing in Macau, of which ethnically Chinese make up the majority. The term Macanese (土生葡人) will refer to Macau people of Portuguese descent. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the use of “Age of Exploration” (15th century to 17th century) rather than “Age of Discovery” in efforts to decolonize the way we think about this history.
