Tiananmen leader ‘hurt and sad’ at localist Hongkongers’ hostile stance on mainland China
Ex-student leader 'hurt' by HK youth who attack fight for mainland democracy
A former student leader of the 1989 democracy movement is "hurt and sad" to see some Hong Kong youths have taken a hostile stance towards those who commemorate the events of 26 years ago that ended in a bloody crackdown.
Zhou Fengsuo, who ranked fifth on Beijing's most-wanted list at the time, said Hongkongers' growing tendency to steer clear of mainland affairs - a stance dubbed "localism" - was not directing the city towards a democratic goal.
Zhou's remarks came after fewer young people turned up for the annual Tiananmen commemorative march on Sunday, where members of radical group Localism Power protested against participants.
Student unions from several universities are also set to stay away from tonight's candlelight vigil in Victoria Park as they disagree with one slogan of the organisers: "Build a democratic China."
READ MORE: Is the rise of localism a threat to Hong Kong's cosmopolitan values?
"The future of Hong Kong has to be based on universal values at the cornerstone of democracy and human rights … That was what the 1989 [democracy movement] was for," Zhou told the South China Morning Post from the US, where he now lives in exile after fleeing the mainland.