Occupy protests bring acceptance for ethnic minority youngsters
Despite fearing possible police retribution, young ethnic minority Hongkongers joined the protests in the past week, feeling more like part of the city than ever before.
Despite fearing possible police retribution, young ethnic minority Hongkongers joined the protests in the past week, feeling more like part of the city than ever before.
Amid applause and cries of encouragement from Chinese locals, various nationalities joined forces to march in the streets with homemade banners, exercising their rights.
Jeffrey Andrews, of Indian origin, said: "Some in our community are afraid to come out [to protest] because they are scared of being identified and singled out later on."
Being of another race meant they could easily be identified in a crowd, and the lack of protection against discriminatory acts meant they could easily become targets, said Andrews.
"The current racial discrimination ordinance does not specify whether government and government functions need to adhere to it," said executive director of ethnic minority advocacy NGO Unison, Phyllis Cheung.
The protests struck a chord with the younger ethnic minority generation - many of whom are third- or fourth-generation Hongkongers - to a point where they joined the sit-ins in protest at what they saw as police violence and a government that has ignored Hongkongers' voices.
"We took the first step," Andrews said, and other ethnic minority groups seem to have followed, with Nepali students, the Indian community and more also taking part.
He said it would be more difficult for the older generation to get involved as they felt detached due to being ostracised. "But for us, we are passionate, because these polices will affect us, and our children as well," he said.
Ansah Malik, of Pakistani descent, said she was very touched when Chinese locals applauded and thanked them for joining the protests.
She added, however: "We leave [the sit-in areas] and suddenly we're foreign again ... but I think [this sentiment] will change. Finally people will acknowledge that we are Hongkongers."
Khan, 24, who is of Pakistani origin but declined to give his full name, said: "We are also Hongkongers, the same as you, and standing with you. When Hong Kong has problems, we also have the responsibility to speak up. We need to act like Hongkongers."
Khan, who was in Admiralty when police fired tear gas at protesters, said: "We are tourists in our parents' home countries. We want the [Chinese] locals to know that we are with them ... we just have a different skin colour."
Sunny Shehzad, of Indian and Pakistani descent, said he hoped that the government would start working for the neglected ethnic minority community. "Hong Kong is an international city on the outside, but inside, so much discrimination exists," he said.
