Sources:
Washington Post
BBC
The Guardian
(This post is basically updating Cameron's)
As you all already know, there are many protests (also known as the “Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill movement”) occurring in Hong Kong right now because of the introduction of the “Fugitive Offenders” amendment by the Hong Kong government. Early Monday morning Hong Kong time, police stormed a university campus occupied by anti-government protesters for a few days, arresting protestors, using tear gas, and threatening further resistance with live rounds. The demonstrators spent Sunday trying to defend themselves against the police shooting “water cannons of stinging blue dye with petrol bombs” at them. Officers entered the campus and made many arrests. To counteract these arrests, the demonstrators started a fire to try and hold off the police. The police are now surrounding the university and firing tear gas and rubber bullets while protestors are trying to leave.
As you all already know, there are many protests (also known as the “Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill movement”) occurring in Hong Kong right now because of the introduction of the “Fugitive Offenders” amendment by the Hong Kong government. Early Monday morning Hong Kong time, police stormed a university campus occupied by anti-government protesters for a few days, arresting protestors, using tear gas, and threatening further resistance with live rounds. The demonstrators spent Sunday trying to defend themselves against the police shooting “water cannons of stinging blue dye with petrol bombs” at them. Officers entered the campus and made many arrests. To counteract these arrests, the demonstrators started a fire to try and hold off the police. The police are now surrounding the university and firing tear gas and rubber bullets while protestors are trying to leave.
As of now, it is known that 10 people have died because of these protests. All 10 of these deaths were suicide. Many people have been hurt, including reporters who have been caught in line of fire and have been hit.
This connects to people’s rights to protest. People are allowed to have their own opinion and thoughts on what the government is trying to enforce on them. The people in Hong Kong are protesting against a law, voicing their opinion. At first, the protests were calm, then they began to escalate in the airport and now this. In Hong Kong, the freedom of assembly is protected under Article 27 of the Basic Law and Article17 of the Bill fo Rights and freedom of speech is also protected under Article 27 of the Basic Law. The police interfering and harming people directly contradicts these rights that people are given. It makes no sense to me.
Honestly, this is very worrying to me because next summer, my family and I are going to Hong Kong for a wedding. I’m hoping the violence clears up by then, but this protest has been going on for 6 months and has been getting more intense every day.
- Do you think things will eventually get better? Or will they escalate even more and get more violent?
- It’s been 6 months, why hasn’t anything been fixed yet?
- Considering the amount of backlash the law has been getting, why hasn’t the government done much?
7 comments:
This is a very scary situation indeed. I honestly think that the escalation will stop eventually, whether that be through government/armed force, or by the people recognizing that they aren't getting anywhere. Of course, the protests would stop if they were just given what they want, but I don't see that as likely. I think if these protests are to continue, there's a possibility of external interference. I think this is most likely to occur if maybe a tourist or even an official from other countries are injured. It is a very scary idea to think of having to interfere with such an intense situation as this; I hope it doesn't come to that. It is concerning that the government hasn't done much to stop these protests except for send in police, which is clearly only causing more escalation. I think that it is possible that the Hong Kong government could be dealing with some pressure from the Chinese government. I know that this was a topic of conversation when the riots were still in their beginning phase.
Personally, I don't see these engagements ending with anything other than a complete (or almost complete) separation of Hong Kong and China. As the first few deaths start to come in, it becomes almost impossible for Hong Kong residents to settle for anything but independence. The US has begun to take some action with a bill make our position clear. I personally believe that an independent Hong Kong is the only way because Hong Kong has culturally and ideologically diverged so far from mainland China that the two could never function as one nation.
I also have a feeling that unfortunately, the violence will only continue on as time passes. What you said about worrying whether to go or not to Hong Kong later made me remember how one of my family's friends who recently lived in Hong Kong had to rush out to move back to America because of the tension there... a very alarming situation indeed. The long, worsening conflict going on between the two reminds me a little of the political polarization we always talk about in class, where both sides stand their ground, unwilling to give in to the other side, creating a prolonged battle of wills that causes even further divide. Like Alex said, it appears that this struggle will only push China and Hong Kong away from each other and eventually force their separation. Hopefully, such an event will come soon and the conflict will die down so its residents can return to a state where they don't have to fear for their lives each day.
To be honest, I do not think that the violence will stop anytime soon. Over the past summer while I was studying in Rhode Island, my friends from Hong Kong had been talking non-stop about the protest and violence. It's very heartbreaking to see that this has progressively gotten worse. It's more concerning now since that I have several friends going through this horrible situtation. The tension between Hong Kong and China may grow so violence that it will continue to push each other away and cause even more separation. With the deaths that had occurred, I believe that this might be the "climax" of the situation. Meaning now people will start seeing the damage it has done. My hope is that people will now realize the dangerous situation and try to fix it. Hopefully, the situation will be resolve but I do not see it happening in the next few months.
Hong Kong and China are very adamant in their separate beliefs and for this I don't think that the violence will stop anytime soon. Because both nations have such different interests, it is hard for either of them to see through the other's perspective. This causes heated rage, angering many citizens of both countries. This violence is especially unique because both countries rely on each other to function. One needs basic supplies and the other needs a good economy. Because of this complicated network of issues, I don't think the violence will be over for another couple of years, but I hope I am wrong.
Unfortunately, I feel like the protests and the violence is not going to stop for a while. The condition between Hong Kong and China has only gotten worse over the course of the months, and with so many injures and deaths, something in a bigger scale might even occur. Personally, I don't have any connections or any insight into the current situation, but I am worried and I feel bad for those who have to live in fear every single day. Adding on to what Daniella said, when I read this article, I thought about the political polarization we learned about in class. China and Hong Kong both have their own ideals and their own opinions on the current issue.
Unless change in the government is made, I don't think the violence is going to lessen. Though the protests are very violent, I believe that, unfortunately, they are necessary in order to make China enact some sort of change. I don't really agree with the Hong Kong police's actions in punishing these protesters as they have the right to protest. However, I do see that because these protests are dangerous, there might be a need to protect the people. Still, I see the police's actions as more as an opposition to the protesters rather than a defense of violence. I feel like not much progress has been made as China does not want to cede to Hong Kong, but I don't think Hong Kong will stop unless they receive the freedom they're protesting for.
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