Letter to the Editor - You should care
about what’s happening in Hong Kong
Abigail Watt
October 2, 2014
It didn’t look much like a revolution. It was 9 p.m. in the heart of Hong Kong’s financial district. People, not cars, occupied the roads. A truck delivering water bottles
and juice, gas masks and cooling pads, rolled through the crowd. The people
parted, creating a path for the truck while the drivers handed out supplies to the
sound of sustained cheers from the onlookers. It didn’t feel like a revolution either.
Yet this was the same group of protesters, the same “Umbrella Revolution” that
faced unprecedented police force just the day before, on Sept. 28, when authorities unleashed pepper spray and dozens of canisters of tear gas on the crowd
gathered in Central. With more than 50 people injured in scuffles with the police
and 89 arrested, these protests blemished Hong Kong’s usually spotless track
record of peaceful demonstrations — but not because of the protesters. This time
it’s the authorities, who have been criticized by both demonstrators and the media
for excessive use of force in a situation that did not need it.
So named for the countless umbrellas held aloft to shield protesters from both
sun and tear gas, the “Umbrella Revolution” is the result of Hong Kong’s growing
discontent with both the local and central governments. At the core of the issue
lies the city’s demands for universal suffrage. The Basic Law that governs Hong
Kong states that the Chief Executive should eventually be elected by the people:
one person, one vote. Currently, an election committee elects Hong Kong’s Chief
Executive. The most recent proposal set forth by the Beijing government allows
each person one vote, but only after a pro-Beijing election committee vets up to
three candidates for the position. That, Hong Kongers contend, was not the deal.
The action started on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Demonstrations began, sparked by
students’ efforts as they conducted peaceful marches and boycotted classes. Momentum increased Friday when the Occupy Central movement, which had planned
a civil disobedience campaign for Oct. 1 against the proposed election policy,
moved its campaign up to join the student movement. The police reacted with
surprising force against protesters, emerging with militaristic guns. Thousands
flooded the streets in indignant response. On Sunday, the police cloaked Central
in tear gas and pepper spray. But the thousands remained on the streets, united
against the violence.
Corey Nelson arrived in Central on Monday night. He called the atmosphere “peaceful, almost celebratory.” By that time, the police had essentially disappeared from
the major protest areas, realizing perhaps that force was not enough to drive the
protesters from the streets.