Guest Column: Why American students should care about the Hong Kong protests
When it comes to protestors, Hong Kong has a scary ritual of mass arrests.
The protestors, when arrested by the police, will yell out their name and state that they will not commit suicide.
It has been a common occurrence that when protesters have been arrested they are later found dead while in police custody.
The authorities, however, will deny any claims, describing the deaths as suicides.
It’s frightening to think about, but all of this is true.
Students are being arrested for advocating for their country’s future and freedom. They are fighting for democracy.
This is something I feel that USCA students should be concerned about because many of these protesters are the same age or younger than students who attend college.
Instead of being in school, these students are fighting for their future, which soon becomes an uncontrollable battle between police and citizens.
The anger from protesters and the Hong Kong police is becoming increasingly more violent.
The citizens of Hong Kong fear that China has a strong, growing influence and power over them.
This all started when the Hong Kong government passed a bill that can send criminals to countries that don't have an extradition treaty with Hong Kong, including mainland China. The Washington Post succinctly covered the terms of this bill.
The bill’s authorization allowed people in China to target and arrest those protesting during the peaceful march to oppose the bill on June 9.
On June 12, police started to use pepper spray and batons against protesters.
Furious at the force exhibited by police, Hong Kong citizens demanded an investigation of those responsible for the brutality.
Thousands of students did not attend the first day of classes to participate in the ongoing protests against the government. This soon became routine for high school and university students.
In early November, many student protesters became more violent on campus, putting them on the front lines against police.
Many students were arrested during the protests, which were labelled by the government as “riots.”
In response to the protests, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that the bill would temporarily be suspended. Ultimately, Lam refused to withdraw it.
The people of Hong Kong were not satisfied with this, so they created five demands for the government.
According to CNN News, they demanded that the government withdraw the bill, Carrie Lam to resign, an investigation of police brutality, the freedom of incarcerated protesters and retractions of the “riot” characterizations.
Impatient with the government’s dismissal of the demands, protesters began shutting down public transport, blocking roads and puncturing bus tires, hoping to get the government’s attention, according to Time Magazine.
Some began making petrol bombs and used impromptu weapons to protect themselves in response to police using tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets at peaceful protests.
A number of students took over Polytechnic University and used it as a bunker to store food, gas masks and umbrellas to hide behind when facing the police. A week before Thanksgiving, hundreds of students were trapped inside as police surrounded the campus, leaving them with low food and water.
CBS News reported that many students had sustained injuries, including collapsed lungs from the rubber bullets shot by police.
This is what students and teenagers in Hong Kong are doing for freedoms that we already have: the right to vote and a government that serves the people.
As young Americans, how many of us take the time to watch the news or register to vote in upcoming elections?
In an interview with The Washington Post, an American college student stated that she was “not into politics” and many students said that they knew little about the electoral candidates in their districts.
Young Hong Kong citizens are pushing their government to listen by voting, protesting and risking being arrested for the future of their country, while most young Americans won’t even vote.
We should take Hong Kong as an example and remember why we should take advantage of the freedoms that we have as U.S. citizens.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Ask yourself this: would you do the same for your freedom?
Chi Nguyen is a USC Aiken student and a contributing writer to Pacer Times. The opinions expressed in this column are her own.
