If you haven’t been keeping up with the international news cycle lately, here is a quick cheat sheet on the top 5 things you need to know about the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.
1. What are they protesting?
China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee held a vote on August 31, 2014 ruling that only candidates that are approved by the nominating panel would be allowed to run for the chief executive position in Hong Kong. Protests held since this decision was made have been advocating for an open nomination process for Hong Kong’s 2017 elections. Many behind the demonstrations in Hong Kong believe that this ruling violates the “one country, two systems” arrangement of 1997, which guaranteed the former British colony separate legal and economic system, as well as civil liberties after China took control. These mass demonstrations, of tens of thousands of citizens, are demanding universal suffrage for a genuine democracy. This pro-democracy movement has been garnering mass media attention as these demonstrations have occupied the central financial districts and four key neighbourhoods of Hong Kong.
2. Who is protesting?
Students from universities and high schools have been at the forefront of the movement, organizing boycotts and sit-in on their campus grounds. Since the decision from Beijing in late August, the Occupy Central Movement has been led by student coalitions and federations, and are predominately young educated citizens of Hong Kong. A large number of those who are protesting China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee are too young to have enough remembered the beginning of the “one country, two systems” arrangement, yet understand the democratic implications of Congress’ decision. There has also been global solidarity across the world with protests and rallies held in different cities all in support of the pro-democracy movement.
3. The Umbrella Movement
Many different names have been given to this pro-democracy movement in China, known mainly as Occupy Central with Love and Peace, as thousands of protestors began their protests in the Central district of Hong Kong. However another name has been catching media attention: The Umbrella Movement. Umbrellas can be seen distributed to many of the protestors to protect themselves against the elements during the day, and the potential use of pepper spray or tear gas.
4. Echoes of Tiananmen Square?
Many have been attributing similar characteristics of the Occupy Central Movement to the student protests in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, in Beijing. Both protests demonstrate similar political agendas in seeking for democracy and greater political reform. Both cases were also spearheaded by students but gained larger crowds and turned into tens of thousands of protesters occupying central streets and locations in both cities. Reporters in both instances noted that protestors were generally friendly and supportive. Although the past couple days have become more heated between Hong Kong protestors, local residents and government workers who do not necessarily agree with their demonstration strategies. We can only hope it will not end in the same manner as Tiananmen Square where the number of deaths or injured is still unknown and ranges from hundreds to thousands.
5. What’s Next?
The unrelenting power that began with student demonstrations has gained ground as formal talks have been agreed to between student leaders and the Hong Kong government. We can now only hope and wait to see what these formal talks will produce and how it will affect the political future of Hong Kong.
DISCLAIMER: the information presented in this article reflect the events until October 7, 2014.
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