A People of Protest: Hong Kong

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."                                                        -First Amendment 

Peaceful or otherwise, protest has been a part of the United States since before the nation actually began.

The Boston Tea Party.
The Greensboro Sit-Ins.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott.
The Anti-Vietnam War Protest.

The Million Woman March.
And the list goes on...

Hong Kong protesters brandish American flags through the streets

For both our nation and the world, anytime a major change is needed public dissent must grow into protest. In most cases, we Americans take pride in our right to protest how we choose...in some cases...See: Black Lives Matter, national anthem protest, etc. Nevertheless, freedom of expression and protest is known globally as a hallmark tenant of American ideology.

Over the past few months, I've scrolled past many headlines containing words such as "Hong Kong", "violence", "protesters", "police", "Chinese government", "tensions rise" and "teargas" among other things. It didn't take long for me to catch the gist of it all: Chinese citizens in Hong Kong are protesting the government, police, or both and things are getting pretty intense. Despite their repeated appearances on my timelines, I realized I don't actually know why these protests are happening and why they've garnered so much international attention.

So I decided to do some research and give you guys a rundown of what's been going on:

• The protests began in opposition to an extradition bill that would have allowed for criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China under circumstances.
• Critics argue that this bill would give China greater influence over Hong Kong, could be used to target activists and journalists, and could expose Hong Kong citizens to unfair trials and violent treatment.
• Hong Kong police have used tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons, and other aggressive methods to control protesters.
• Many protesters adopted a motto: "Five demands, not one less!"
1. For the protests to not be characterized as a "riot"
2. Amnesty for arrested protesters
3. An independent inquiry into alleged police brutality
4. Implementation of complete universal suffrage
5. Withdrawal of the extradition bill
• Since the protests began, over 2000 protesters have suffered injuries and many more were arrested.

On October 23, Hong Kong authorities finally withdrew the controversial extradition bill that sparked the violence that has ensued for months. Although protests are still continuing in various forms, it is interesting to see how these events will progress and possibly extend into 2020.

“Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.”  

 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.