Tens of thousands of protesters have flooded the streets of Hong Kong. Protesters are calling for the resignation of Leung Chun-ying, the head of the Hong Kong government, as well as the right to both nominate and directly elect future Chief Executives.
Who mobilized this massive political movement? Though not yet old enough to vote 17-year-old Joshua Wong, has been one of the most audacious and powerful influences of these large scale protests, known as the Umbrella Revolution.
While this skinny and bespectacled teen activist might not seem like a commanding figure, his pro-democracy campaign has taken Hong Kong by storm and echoes the student protests at Tiananmen Square 25 years ago. Their fight for universal suffrage, or the right to vote and elect government officials regardless of race, sex, or gender, has only begun to escalate.
Despite efforts to identify itself as a civil disobedience movement, it is now widely known as the Umbrella Revolution. Umbrellas have become a symbol of the protest, because protesters have had to use them against police pepper spray.
British occupation in Hong Kong ended after 156 years in 1997 and sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China. This bit of history is important to understanding the motivation behind the current protesting.
After British occupation, Hong Kong became semi-autonomous, having common law, an independent judiciary, and freedom of information and movement. The Communist Party refuses to grant Hong Kong political enfranchisement (the right to vote) out of fear that their democracy will become contagious in the rest of China. The citizens of Hong Kong are both well traveled and well educated, and they will stop at nothing to have their Western-style freedoms back.
Despite its large following, not everyone in Hong Kong is on board with the Umbrella Revolution. Older generations are less optimistic that change is possible and fear the movement will bring economic instability and police brutality, similar to the Tiananmen uprising in 1989. Their worries however are not farfetched.
On September, riot police used tear gas against unarmed students at what started off as a peaceful sit-in in front of the government headquarters. Even more recently, Joshua Wong along with several other students were arrested after climbing the fence of government headquarters.
He was released after 40 hours of being detained. While nobody is sure if the movement will end peacefully or violently, Joshua Wong has made it clear that the fight for democracy has only begun.
He stated, “five years ago, it was inconceivable that Hong Kong students would care about politics at all. But there was an awakening when the national education issue happened. We started to care about politics.” The world anxiously awaits Joshua Wong and the Umbrella Revolution as Hong Kong takes the global stage once again.
To follow the Umbrella Revolution, check out http://time.com/3466881/watch-hong-kong-student-leader-joshua-wong-talks-protest-aims/
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