Honk Kong; the Right to Choice
Demonstrations and occupations have gripped the region recently caused a deep crisis for Hong Kong’s rulers.
Hong Kong’s 28,000 police force has battled the movement.
Riot police have waded in to attack protesters to try and break the spirit of the movement.
Protesters use umbrellas and have had to collect extra equipment like helmets and foam forearm shields to defend themselves against police batons.
Protesters had to collect extra equipment to protect against the police attacks—including helmets and homemade foam forearm shields.
Many protesters have refused to leave the streets and have kept up the their call on Hong Kong’s leader Leung Chun-ying to resign.
He has made desperate attempts to undermine support for the protests by accusing “external forces” of driving them.
China is refusing to retreat because it fears demands for real democracy spreading to the mainland.
This makes it difficult for the government in Hong Kong to make any concessions that could discourage new protests.
People are demanding the right to choose Hong Kong’s leader in elections in 2017.
Autonomy
The arrangement with China — known as “one country two systems”— means that Hong Kong’s rulers have a level of autonomy.
But the Chinese government still vets all candidates in the election.
The protests have been supported by both university and school students, and one of the trade union federations.
The state has begun to clamp down on protesters’ use of social media to build the movement.
Hong Kong head of security Lai Tung-kwok said activists affiliated to “radical organisations” were “conspiring, planning and charging violent acts”.
Police have arrested a 23 year old man for “access to a computer with criminal or dishonest intent”.
They claimed he had used an online forum to encourage people to join “the unlawful assembly in Mong Kok, to charge at police and to paralyse the railways”.
But so far every action that the state and the police have used to try and crush the movement has backfired.
The movement continues to grow— and win solidarity.
Large screens on the streets relay messages of support including from people in Gaza and Ferguson in the US.
