Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers have come out to the streets to protest against an extradition bill, formally called the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation Bill, proposed by the Hong Kong government.
The protests officially began on March 31st, 2019 and are still ongoing. There have been eight recorded suicides, and over 2,000 injured so far. The protests arose out of anxiety and concern over the “one country, two systems” relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China. Hong Kongers worry that their residents and those passing through the city will be extradited to courts controlled by the Communist Party of China, therefore undermining the civil liberties of Hong Kongers and not receiving a fair trial. In addition, there is anxiety that this would be a tactic for China to fish out political activists from Hong Kong, and that other nations will no longer partner or invest their time and money into a diminishing democracy in Hong Kong.
The goals of these protests are: complete withdrawal of the Extradition Bill, resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam along with the introduction of universal suffrage for election of the Legislative Council and the Chief Executive, release and exoneration of protestors, accountability for police brutality, and retraction of the protest as a “riot.” Lam suspended the extradition bill on June 15th and declared the bill “dead” on July 9th. The bill was withdrawn September 4th. However, Lam refused to concede to any of the other four demands.
As Hong Kong demonstrators continue anti-government protests, clashes between riot police and protesters have become increasingly combative and dangerous, especially surrounding the recent ban on face masks and China’s recent celebration of the 70th year of Communist Party rule in the country. Protestors have been sprayed with tear gas and shot with rubber and real bullets. The status of Hong Kong remains ambiguous as tensions continue to heighten.
