What makes Hong Kong different from China?
Hong Kong was a colony and territory of the United Kingdom for about 156 years. From 1841 until the 1st of July of 1997, Hong Kong was given back to China under the “One Country, Two Systems” policy. The policy made Hong Kong a part of China, but let its people retain a “high degree of autonomy” with freedoms of press, assembly, speech and the right to vote.
But this is only until 2047. The “One Country, Two Systems” policy made mainland China and Hong Kong two very different places. While Hongkongers have a variety of liberties, China is illiberal and rules with an iron fist—especially against those who spoke against the government. Another reason on how Hong Kong differs from China is the actual border between them that separates the diverse governments and control the flow of goods and people between the two.
When did the protests begin? What happened during?
Protests in Hong Kong began after the United Kingdom handed the territory over to China. Known as the “Hong Kong July 1 Marches'', the protests gained a lot of traction in 2003.
After Article 23 of the National Security Law was passed, police were allowed to proceed investigations without warrants and ban groups that are outlawed by communist authorities in mainland China. On September 26, 2014, protests began yet again against the reforms of the electoral system of Hong Kong that dictates when Hong Kong nationals must vote for their chief executive.
This movement was called the “Umbrella Movement” which references its protestors who used umbrellas to protect themselves from pepper spray. These protesters demanded true democracy and the resignation of their current chief executive. The movement was on-going from the 26th of September to the 15th of December.
In that span of time, people questioned the police for the use of excessive force and police brutality. There was one case where a man was thrown, kicked and punched by six police officers, resulting in more protests and public outcry. The protester’s methods included occupations, street protests, hunger strikes and civil disobedience. Unfortunately, these did not result in much change.
Instead, they had a resurgence in 2019, where protests broke out once again when workers of the Causeway Bay Books—a bookstore that sold political books banned in mainland China—suddenly disappeared and an extradition bill between China and Taiwan was proposed. The bill allowed criminal suspects to transfer from Hong Kong to Taiwan to be persecuted, but also allowed extradition to mainland China from Hong Kong. The implications to extradition to mainland China are unfair trials, cruel and unusual punishment and no balance of power. These proved true eventually.
2019 protests brought forth five demands: withdrawal of the extradition bill, retraction of describing protests as “riots” in the media, imprisoned protesters to be released from jail, investigations into the police brutality, and finally but most importantly: the resignation of 2017-elected chief executive, Carrie Lim.
In the end, the extradition bill was withdrawn and the “riots” were considered protests for the most part. Yet, the fight is far from over and Hongkongers have shown they won't back down in this battle over their “God-given” rights.
To conclude…
It is truly infuriating to see Hong Kong nationals go through blood, sweat and tears just to express themselves freely. They are being incarcerated and even killed just for voicing their own opinions. The fact that the honest and hard-working people of Hong Kong must endure acts of violence and denial of basic living needs by expressing their freedoms is alarming and not expected in this modern century. Observing the amount of passion these people have when it comes to protecting their rights, city, and trying to maintain a bright future is, honestly, very moving.