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Opinion

Can a civil disobedience movement ever succeed in Hong Kong?

Bernard Chan says while some examples of such resistance, like one in the US concerning illegal migrants, have merit, it is hard to see Beijing reacting positively to such pressure

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Students and faculty at the University of Washington in Seattle protest last month against Donald Trump’s election as US president. Photo: AFP
Bernard Chan
Up until two or three years ago, few of us in Hong Kong thought about the concept of civil disobedience. Then along came the pro-democracy Occupy Central movement. The original plan drew on such icons as Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. The idea was a large-scale sit-in on the streets of Central to demand reform. Participants would be knowingly breaking the law – but also strictly avoiding violence.

Although events turned out differently, activists and the public learned about the principle of non-violent civil disobedience. We cannot rule out protests of this sort in the future if enough people in Hong Kong feel strongly about a sensitive issue.

Something like this is happening in the US. In recent weeks, many colleges have come under pressure from students, academics and others to defy the law in defence of what they see as justice and liberal values. This follows Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election a month ago. One of Trump’s big campaign issues was illegal immigration. Among other things, he promised to deport huge numbers of people who had entered the US illegally.

Sweeping immigration crackdown looks to be top of Trump’s agenda

This implied ending a policy called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Under this policy, introduced in 2012, young people brought into the US illegally as kids could apply to remain legally in the country for a two-year period, which was renewable.
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It was a humane and practical measure for young people who did not choose to go to the US, but had been raised there and were liable to deportation proceedings at any time. It also enabled US colleges and employers to provide opportunities to many talented and energetic young people. Only those with clean records are eligible. The policy has given over 750,000 the right to study or work without fear of sudden arrest (there could be as many as a million more).

A flyer appears at the University of California, Berkeley campus the day after the election of Donald Trump as US president. Photo: Reuters
A flyer appears at the University of California, Berkeley campus the day after the election of Donald Trump as US president. Photo: Reuters

Washington readies for horde of protesters for Trump’s inauguration

The election of Trump poses a challenge to many colleges. Should they just stand by and do nothing if the deferred action policy is reversed and federal agents arrive to round up students benefiting from the initiative? A “sanctuary campus” movement has sprung up across the US, demanding that colleges protect their undocumented immigrant students. Supporters believe they have the moral high ground.

The ‘sanctuary campus’ movement is a bargaining chip and has become part of a wider national debate ... It is not a pointless gesture to grab attention
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