Hong Kong Occupy Activists (aka Occupy Central) At the Center of Massive Protests Against New Chinese Anti-Democratic Policies.

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Categories: Front Page, Open Mic

occupy-hong-kong-assault-riflesTens of thousands have been on the streets of Hong Kong since Wednesday, enduring tear gas and riot police.

They are protesting the chipping away of the freedoms the Chinese government guaranteed them in 1997 when the expiration of a 100 year lease changed Hong Kong from being a British colony to part of China. In particular, a series of election law proposed changes that would give the Chinese government control over who was an acceptable candidate to run for office are at the center of the protests.

It is no surprise to read, as the New York Times put it,

The Hong Kong government blamed the unrest on Occupy Central With Love and Peace, a group that has spearheaded demands for greater democracy

A member of the Hong Kong legislative council asked

Tear gas may have the immediate effect of dispersing the peaceful demonstrators, but if you make people cry, and the tears are from their heart, how can you govern?

Perhaps the most amazing images from the protests so far as those of crowds standing with their hands in the air, in the now classic “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot” posture that was made famous in Ferguson, Missouri after Michael Brown was murdered.

Here are some tweetpics showing some of what is going down in Hong Kong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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