by Niki Apostolicas
For over four months, the world has had its eyes on Hong Kong. On June 9th, over a million Hong Kong citizens flooded the streets to protest against the proposed Extradition Bill. This extradition bill, formally known as the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation Bill 2019, was prompted by a man who murdered his girlfriend in Taiwan but could not be prosecuted in Hong Kong. After much thought, Carrie Lam, the current chief executive of Hong Kong, proposed a bill in which criminals would be tried in mainland China on a case-by-case basis. In theory, this bill would allow citizens of Hong Kong to be arrested and extradited to China by the approval of the chief executive. Although Hong Kong technically belongs to China, it is an autonomous region whose values drastically contrast with those of China. This bill is especially troubling because many fear that dissidents who support democratic values could also be extradited to China for no justifiable reason, threatening democracy. Additionally, China is notorious for silencing pro-democracy advocates, as illustrated by the disastrous result of the 1989 Tian An Men Square protests. Thus, the proposed extradition bill presents a serious concern to the citizens of Hong Kong.
Everyday, thousands of Hong Kong citizens take the streets to stand up for what they believe in. At the forefront of the protests are the youth. For them, this is “a matter of life or death.” They fear the year of 2047 when Hong Kong loses its autonomy and will be will fully integrate itself into China. The younger generation, in contrast to their parents, has no connection to China and has only lived under democratic rule. They consider the extradition bill a threat to their judicial independence, which is currently the only aspect of their lives unaffected by Beijing’s influence. With the Hong Kong handover slowly approaching, they have chosen to resist and protect their democratic values. Despite youth being on the front lines, police officers treat protesters with violent force. Hong Kong police officers have targeted student union leaders, severely beating them as they leave protests. Additionally, on June 12th, police officers used tear gas to counter the large crowds at the base of the legislative building. Young teenagers were collectively dowsing tear gas canisters with water to protect other protesters. Not only does this demonstrate the brutality of the police, but this also expresses how significant these protests are to the Hong Kong youth: they are willing to risk their health for this cause. The youth are also largely responsible for exposing the severity of this issue to an international level through the use of social media. This generation is a passionate force that should be praised for their determination and dedication.
As the protests have grown, so has the oppositional force. Viral videos of police beating students and elders alike with batons infuriated Hong Kong citizens. On June 16, despite Carrie Lam withdrawing the extradition bill, over two million citizens flooded the streets demanding an investigation into excessive police force. They continue to protest for Carrie Lam to step down, more democratic rights, and for the release of anyone arrested for unjustified protest-related reasons. The government has failed to acknowledge these demands. The government believed protests would eventually die down; however, they underestimated the determination of the protesters as the protests continue with the same enthusiasm. The government has tried countering the protests with increased police force, but these efforts have backfired. On August 11th, for example, a woman was shot in the eye with a police projectile. She became a symbol of the movement overnight and hundreds of thousands of citizens protested the next day with eyepatches in respect to her efforts.
Since then, violence from both sides has only escalated. Police fired rounds of tear gas into a tunnel filled with protesters, which violated safety guidelines. Following this, protesters stormed the Hong Kong International Airport and tied up a Chinese news reporter and a security officer. They gained the attention of mainland China;Beijing labelled these acts as terrorism. Additionally, on October 1st, the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, a peaceful protester was shot by a police officer. The Chinese media attempted to blame the protesters for being violent, but a video posted on social media clearly shows that the protester did not instigate any violence against the officer. It is unclear whether these protests will end; however, the protests are bound to become more violent.
Hong Kong’s fight for democracy has been recognized by many Americans, including the general manager of the Houston Rockets. On October 4th, he tweeted, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong,” and was met with thousands of replies, over 50% of which were from bots. A fallout occurred the next day; several large Chinese companies broke ties with the Houston Rockets and the NBA. The NBA was forced to declare that Morey’s views did not represent the league and that the NBA would not take a stance on the issue. In addition, Lebron James, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, declared his disapproval of Morey’s beliefs by calling him not “educated on the situation at hand.” These two examples illustrate China’s international financial influence. China contributes nearly four billion dollars to the NBA, and without them, the NBA would not be able to give the salaries they provide. Additionally, the case of Lebron James represents complete hypocrisy. In James’ response to Morey’s tweet, he failed to mention the substance of his tweet. Instead, James’ focuses on the ramifications of Morey’s tweet, stating that “so many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically. Emotionally. Spiritually.” However, James also failed to understand the consequences of his own tweet. By criticizing Morey, he turned his back on the citizens of Hong Kong who are fighting for their own personal freedoms. His tweet managed to draw criticism from not only Republicans, but also Democrats who had previously praised him for his support of racial justice. When the NBA star tweeted that his team and the NBA “went through a difficult week,” Republican senator Rick Scott countered him by stating how the people in Hong Kong have had catastrophic week as police brutality and violence continue to rise. Overall, China’s ability to disrupt American industries and influence American citizens depicts their international financial influence.
As tensions continue to rise, it appears that the protests in Hong Kong are not ending anytime soon. Hong Kong is deteriorating economically due to a recession. More protesters are arrested and injured every day. Although the future of the citizens of Hong Kong may appear grim, us Americans must stand and show our support for their efforts to protect their civil liberty. We must proudly declare our support for these people. We must stand with Hong Kong.
Citations:
Ives, Mike. “What Is Hong Kong's Extradition Bill?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 June 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/world/asia/hong-kong-extradition-bill.html.
“The Hong Kong Protests Explained in 100 and 500 Words.” BBC News, BBC, 28 Nov. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49317695.
Wu, Jin, and K. K. Rebecca. “Six Months of Hong Kong Protests. How Did We Get Here?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-arc.html?action=click&module=STYLN_menu_hongkong&variant=1_menu_hongkong&state=default&pgtype=Article®ion=header.
Bradsher, Keith. “In Hong Kong's Crackdown on Protests, Face Mask Ban May Be the Start.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Oct. 2019,
www.nytimes.com/2019/10/06/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-face-mask-ban.html.
McLaughlin, Timothy. “The Anger of Hong Kong's Youth.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 22 Sept. 2019, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/09/hong-kongs-students-continue-fight/598183/.
Al Jazeera. “Hotels to Cognac: Global Brands Get Hit by Hong Kong Protests.” Hong Kong Protests News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 18 Oct. 2019, www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/hotels-cognac-global-brands-hit-hong-kong-protests-191018071645755.html.
Victor, Daniel, and Tiffany May. “The Murder Case That Lit the Fuse in Hong Kong.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 June 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/06/15/world/asia/hong-kong-murder-taiwan-extradition.html?module=inline. Conversation, The. “LeBron James and the NBA's Missed Opportunity to Protest Hong Kong Injustice.” Salon, Salon.com, 27 Oct. 2019, www.salon.com/2019/10/27/lebron-james-and-the-nbas-missed-opportunity-to-protest-hong-kong-injustice_partner/.
Cohen, Ben, et al. “How One Tweet Turned Pro-China Trolls Against the NBA.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 16 Oct. 2019, www.wsj.com/articles/how-one-tweet-turned-pro-china-trolls-against-the-nba-11571238943.
Comments