Will you march on July 1?
Pulcheria Chung, 18 St Mary's Canossian College
The resignations of three radio talk-show hosts, Albert Cheng, Allen Lee and Raymond Wong, all known for speaking their minds and criticising the government, really scared us all. It makes me wonder, is our freedom of speech under threat? It definitely seems so. But our government has assured us again and again that it's ridiculous to say that there is no democracy, that there's no freedom in Hong Kong. They say that the Chinese government has always respected our autonomy and rights. But is it true?
I'm not going to comment on that, but if we're all able to turn up at the demonstration, we'll be able to see whether our opinions are still respected, how the governments of Hong Kong and China will respond, and how much tolerance they have for diverse political views and criticism.
Will they reflect and improve as a result, or will they further strengthen their grip on us? This march will reflect it all. It'll give a clearer picture of what our government is like. But everything depends on whether you and I are willing to sacrifice some time to take to the streets. United we stand. Only by unity will the government take their mistakes seriously.
Oliver Kwan, 17 Delia School of Canada
I'm not going to protest on July 1, just as I haven't ever protested in my life.
In general, I find that politicians have opinions that waiver far too much for me to lend my support to them. I have seen politicians scream bloody murder against a government one week, and the next they're rubbing shoulders with the person they condemned. I don't protest for this exact reason; if I offer my support to someone and they gain power because of it, I'm not going to be very happy when their opinion changes with the wind. But that's assuming that the protest actually achieves something.
Protests have plagued North America's history, regarding everything from working conditions to equal rights. Though the reasons for protest were more often than not noble, the best of them ended with nothing being done, while the worst ended with people dying. These protests have proven only one thing: if you want something done, it's better to take to the polls than to the streets.
When people have no idea how to change things, protest seems to come to mind. The whole thought of disturbing the peace and destroying a government seems appealing to some. If I were a government official, I would never give into protests. Doing so would make me seem weak, the last thing you need in politics.
