The protests that started roughly a year ago in the city of Hong Kong continue through the current pandemic. It is essential that we support these protesters fighting for their liberty and their lives. Many of these protesters are university students who have the same hopes for a bright future that all students at DU share.
The largest lawmaking body of Hong Kong is titled the Legislative Counsel but is more commonly referred to as LegCo. The House Committee of the LegCo is headed by the pro-democracy legislator Dennis Kwok, who has been disparaged repeatedly by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Beijing. The CCP seeks to oust Kwok and other fairly elected pro-democracy legislators because they have been working diligently to block overbearing legislation. They have prevented the National Anthem Bill which would criminalize the tradition of insulting the CCP’s anthem in Hong Kong, as well as a new draft of Article 23 known as the “sedition bill” that sparked mass protests in the city in 2003.
The CCP and the Pro-Beijing party have been looking for a way to disqualify Kwok and regain control of the important House Committee. On Friday, May 8, Beijing enforcers forcefully removed pro-democracy lawmakers from a regular meeting where they were peacefully filibustering the Pro-Beijing Party leader Starry Lee’s unjust appointment to the head of the House Committee.
On May 10, legislator Roy Kwong was brutally arrested in the Mong Kok district, and numerous journalists were pepper-sprayed. The world is currently distracted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the situation in Hong Kong is getting worse by the day.
Over the past several weeks, Hong Kong residents have taken to malls to protest Beijing’s unjust encroachment on their rights. In these places, they peacefully sing their unofficial national anthem. After the unjust actions on May 8, there was a high police presence in malls, and they were closed down to prevent people from expressing themselves.
Additionally, police stormed malls during a Mother’s Day celebration. They fired pepper spray canisters into a crowd which consisted of many young children. This is the same police force that has been murdering citizens and declaring their deaths “suicides” to allay suspicion.
Even though we are not there to protest alongside those seeking freedom and liberty, we can still help. Do the best to get the word out. Write to your representatives. Urge the United States to stand up for our value, show we will not give into CCP demands and support a Free Hong Kong. You can additionally create “Lennon Walls” in your community to raise awareness.
An 18-year-old frontline volunteer first-aider who spoke to The Clarion urges that “the simplest way you can help without much effort is by donating money. Donations help organizations like the 612 fund organize legal help for protesters and pay for medical bills, bailout money and living fees of protesters who fled overseas.”
“Medical teams like mine can’t function or buy medical gear, trauma supplies or protective gear without donations from other people,” He said. The GoFundMe to support their team is here.
The CCP’s interferences in the affairs of Hong Kong are prolonged and blatant violations of the 1997 handover agreement, basic human rights and the values of democracy that the United States claims to uphold. There is no one China. There is China, an independent Taiwan and an independent Hong Kong.
