Letters | Hong Kong’s young protesters are fighting for their freedoms, not housing. When will the government get it?

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Young anti-government protesters in superhero masks during a rally in Jordan in Hong Kong on October 20. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 8:30am, 4 Nov 2019Updated: 8:30am, 4 Nov 2019

I am writing in response to the report, “Arrest and detention of children over Hong Kong’s anti-government protests raise questions on police treatment and legal process” (October 20).

Since the protests began to intensify several weeks ago, we have begun to see more and more teenagers or preteens being arrested. Teenagers usually act impulsively but they are driven by ideals, and usually fight for the greater good or for a better future. Although some of the teenagers arrested may have used illegal means to try to restore the freedoms Hong Kong is losing, most of them are driven by the same principles. They want the government to listen to them; they just want a better future.

More and more Hong Kong people are angry with the government. The more grievances they harbour, the greater the number of Hong Kong people willing to march for their rights. In the long term, Hong Kong will never be restored to its former glory if the government just focuses on the housing problem and refuses to face the actual problems.

In these troubled times, the most fundamental thing the government should be doing is listening to what Hong Kong people are saying. The government held a community dialogue, but that was a limited encounter, with just a selected group allowed to voice their thoughts.

Instead of just engaging in nominal dialogue with a part of the community, the government should invite everyone to share their views freely. Also, it is not enough for the government to just listen to public opinion, it should also respect and respond to it. The government has a duty to heed public grievances, instead of consistently ignoring them.

As for the children who were arrested, even if some of them did something illegal, they should be supported when they are released, since most of them resorted to violence because of their love for Hong Kong and out of desperation.