The Hong Kong protests have been going on for over half a year. And a great deal has happened. But not everyone knows what’s really going on and why. Here’s everything you need to know.
The protests in Hong Kong started in March of 2019. It began in protest of the Fugitive Offenders Amendment Bill introduced by the Hong Kong government. This bill, in short, would allow the other governments to find, detain, and extract criminals and fugitives in territories of Hong Kong that don’t have the power, such as Taiwan and China. This would mean that Hong Kong citizens would essentially be subjected to the laws of these countries, even though they don’t live there.
The protesters don’t want to be subjected to China’s strict control and have established five key demands from Hong Kong officials.
- Complete withdrawal of the extradition bill from the legislative process.
- Retraction of the “Riot” characterization.
- Release and exoneration of arrested protesters.
- Establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into police conduct and use of force during the protests.
- Resignation of Carrie Lam and the implementation of universal suffrage for Legislative Council and Chief Executive elections.
To expand on objectives 2-4, The government considers the protests as riots. This allows them to use as much as lethal force against the protesters. There have been countless instances caught be the media of police harming, arresting, permanently crippling, and even killing non-violent protesters. They want those arrested to be freed and the police to be held accountable for their level of unneeded brutality.
As time passed, the protests grew larger, and so did the level of violence against them by the police, resorting to tear gas and rubber bullets by June. By this point, around 500,000 to 800,000 protesters were on the streets.
By August, about 1.7 million protesters were present.
Carrie Lam declared the extradition bill dead in September, but still refused to withdraw it. She also actively refused the four other demands, especially the inquiry into the police brutality.
On October 23, the extradition bill was officially withdrawn in full from the legislative process. While the main goal was met, the protests continue, demanding the other 4 objectives.
The protesters have gathered support from American preppers and non-preppers alike, both believing that the people of Hong Kong shouldn’t be subjected to government abuse of this level. Certain symbols have become related to their efforts, such as the flag of Hong Kong, the Umbrella (to shield from tear gas), and gas masks.
This just goes to show: when a government demands too much control, the people will fight back.