Xin 1

Xin Huang

ENGW1111

18 October 2021

Profile Assignment: Storytelling with Purpose

Profile of Hong Kong Protests held in Hong Kong, 2019

Figue

1: Protestors fight with police in Hong Kong, 2019 (Kinder)

People are screaming; Protesters and police are scolding and fighting; People in the

distance are smashing the glass of roadside shops, setting fire to cars, and destroying the railway

with various objects. There are no more crowds and busy vendors on the streets, and chaos fills

Hong Kong. Nearly one million people crowded the narrow streets of Hong Kong to protest.

This profile underlines the result of the suppressed voice of the public, who after being promised
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freedom and political autonomy. It is the demand for democracy that was made through the

peaceful protests by the people of Hong Kong that was misunderstood by police as a fierce

outcry of protestors.

The chosen profile is of an event of historical, social, and political significance in Hong

Kong. The Hong Kong Protest started in June 2018. It was an anti-government protest that

manifested the public's antagonism towards the Hong Kong government because it had launched

a plan for extradition to mainland China (BBC). As mentioned by a journalist named Jha that

these "anti-government protests overwhelmed the city last year as democracy activists accuse

authorities of trying to rewrite history." The protest had begun on 9 June 2019 in the form of

peaceful demonstrations by the citizens of Hong Kong to express their disapproval towards the

government's plan to allow extradition to mainland China. However, because of the

government's lack of engagement, the peaceful demonstrations by protesters transformed into a

more violent form of protestation. The violence commenced when a group of young protesters

decided to hold water bottles, bricks, and umbrellas on police officers during a confrontation that

paved the way for a hostile situation and reaction by firing rubber bullets and tear gas. It was the

first time in a decade that such a magnitude of violence was observed in the streets of Hong

Kong. The violence and the destination continued for days in Hong Kong, which had left dozens

of bystanders and protesters injured, which served as a critical tragic event witnessed by

contemporary people. In addition to this, antagonism between the public and police was further

exacerbated when the activist accused police officials of "rewriting history and changing the

narrative of an event that was filmed on mobile phones and shared by widely on social media"

(Jha). Furthermore, these protesters' attacks on the Hong Kong Parliament further ignited the

situation that demonstrated deep resentment of the citizens.

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The dominant impression of this profile is how the hostility towards the Chinese government

rendered civil unrest a pervasive reality in Hong Kong. The protest demonstrated how the

Chinese government had cracked down on the freedom of the people of Hong Kong and

deprived them of their political autonomy. Their freedom and political independence were

promised to them under the political framework of one country two systems when the British

government had assigned Hong Kong under the Chinese jurisdiction in 1997 (Maitland and

Albert). The dissent felt by the people of Hong Kong over the years prompted massive protests

in 2019 triggered by the controversial amendment in the national security law regarding

extradition.

Not only did this terrifying event Shake the prolonged protests, but it also demonstrated the

discontent of a significant portion of the population of Hong Kong. As mentioned by Purbick,

this crisis called for the need for changes in the governance approach that was imperative to cater

to the needs of the people of Hong Kong society. Besides, this event paved the way for

understanding the bleaker picture of Hong Kong society in 2019 and the government's situation

that the citizens were resenting. The plight of protesters was observed at various instances over

months in Hong Kong 2019. For example, in August, when violence had erupted in a Metro

station in Hong Kong, the riot police had stormed a train at Prince Edward Subway, which had

not only terrified the passengers but also the police dispersed pepper spray and used batons that

manifested the brutality of police (Jha). In addition to this, one of the protesters who participated

in the rally in June was a boy named Joseph who was in high school and mentioned, "My head

wouldn't stop bleeding," which reflected the terror inflicted by the police and their batons.

However, during that time, the police had dismantled the allegations of brutality against them

under the guise of using appropriate measures required for controlling the protesters.
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That also showcased how the police had used the traditional ride control strategies that had

allegedly been used in 1967 Communist-related antagonism as well as employed the use of

colonial-era laws as they failed to differentiate the minority protesters who turned to violence as

opposed to the majority who engaged in peaceful demonstrations (Purbick 465). Moreover, this

discontentment highlighted the lack of understanding on the Hong Kong government to

comprehend the reason for this reaction among the people of Hong Kong. It served as a political

crisis that shed light on an essential aspect of "one country two systems." Those dates back to the

history of transferring Hong Kong's jurisdiction to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 when the people

of Hong Kong were promised their freedom and rights under Hong Kong law. The problem was

enhanced when in February 2019, the authorities of Hong Kong had proposed changes in the

fugitive offenders' amendment bill on extradition that allowed criminal suspects to be extradited

to mainland China. Despite the peaceful protestations for their rights by the people of Hong

Kong, the lack of involvement of the Chinese government laid the foundation for unrest and

political crisis. The political situation is manifested in intractable differences between the

protesters and the government of Hong Kong backed by Beijing, wherein neither side was

backing down. As a result of this, protest stations that were started as peaceful rallies soon

transformed into violence and a chaotic environment that eventually led to the withdrawal of the

unpopular bill; however, the protesters' demands had extended to the idea of increasing

democracy investigating the police.

Furthermore, the mayhem that was caused in 2019 in Hong Kong served as a pertinent

challenge to the intense nationalism of China (Victor). More importantly, this protest station had

garnered the attention of the supporters of democracy worldwide who stood beside the protesters

and condemned the autocracy of the Chinese government, as mentioned by Victor. The entire
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event impels one to delve into the political landscape of mainland China and how governance

became a crucial factor for deciding the fate and freedom of the people of Hong Kong. Also, the

entire course of events during the span of 6 months protest in Hong Kong foregrounds the

disharmony between the Chinese government and people of Hong Kong and extreme agitation of

the people of this nation whose freedom and political autonomy had been thwarted.
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Works Cited

BBC News. "The Hong Kong protests explained in 100 and 500 words", 2019.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49317695.

Jha, Preeti. "Hong Kong protests: The flashpoints in a year of anger". BBC News, 2020,

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53942295.

Kinder, Tabby. "Hong Kong' Doxing' Crackdown Stirs Further Fears For Business". Ft.Com,

2021, https://www.ft.com/content/acd9d7a8-9016-42d9-8d51-0d413d9e29f8.

Maizland, Lindsay, and Eleanor Albert. "Hong Kong'S Freedoms: What China Promised And

How It'S Cracking Down". Council On Foreign Relations, 2021,

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/hong-kong-freedoms-democracy-protests-china-

crackdown?gclid=CjwKCAjw2P-

KBhByEiwADBYWCiYbAonibRpDoOxCvQdeJ0AY89fXY4X0ZnN9e4I87RjETJb0Trq

ufhoCWmYQAvD_BwE

Purbrick, Martin. "A report of the 2019 Hong Kong protests." Asian Affairs, vol. 50, no. 4, 2019,

pp. 465-487.

Victor, Daniel. "Why Are People Protesting in Hong Kong?". The New York Times, 2019,

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/world/asia/hong-kong-protests.html.