Young people power Hong Kong protests
PROTESTS COULD GROW
The protests in Hong Kong are expected to expand today and Thursday, with most poeple off work borth days for public holidays. Protesters cheered as a deadline they had set for Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to meet with them passed unmet at midnight Tuesday. They began crowding into the city’s Buahina Square, where Leung is scheduled to attend a flag-raising ceremony early today in honor of National Day, the anniversary of the founding of Communist China in 1949.
— Associated Press
Older leaders had wanted to stage a pro-democracy protest against the city’s mainland Chinese rulers beginning today. But their plans were quickly overtaken by protests staged by college and high school students beginning last Friday.
Led by a 17-year-old named Joshua Wong, the students converged on Hong Kong’s government complex. Wong was arrested — and later released — and more young people joined the occupation. That led to confrontations Sunday, when police attempted to disperse the protesters with pepper spray and then tear gas. That succeeded only in drawing more sympathizers to the cause, and they clogged the streets of the city for yet another day Tuesday, refusing to disperse depsite a history of brutal crackdowns by Beijing.
“For our generation, people in their 20s, we were born here and have witnessed the change since the British handover,” said Kwok. “We feel this is our stand. We have to create a space for free speech and away from the threat” of the Chinese Communist Party.
Tens of thousands of youthgul protesters like Kwok have taken to the streets, risking tear gas and pepper spray to seek a more democratic system for local elections.
“The young people of Hong Kong no longer have the same kind of identification with China as their parents did,” said Sebastian Veg, the director of the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China.
“To tell you the truth, we don’t want to be defined as Chinese people,” said Simon Wong, 24, one of several protesters who made similar statements.
“I am not one of those people who thinks that Hong Kong can become independent,” he added. “But Hong Kong is a special place, with a special autonomy. We just want them (Chinese leaders) to keep the promises they have made.”
A savvy netizen constantly glued to her mobile phone, Kwok has been following developments closely. Her parents, by contrast, have paid scant attention, she said, and they seem grudgingly resigned to whatever Beijing dictates.
“We are a different generation. We have the power of information,” said Kwok.
The goal for many of the demonstrators is to force the resignation of Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, who failed to meet with them by a midnight Tuesday deadline they had set. His departure, they think, might lead to a more satisfactory elections proposal from Beijing.
“China is known for making all kinds of fake things, and selling them abroad,” said Eric Ma, 24, who attended the protests. “We don’t want to buy their fake democracy.”
