New | Dozens of US universities stage rallies in support of Hong Kong's protesting students

Events were held on dozens of university and college campuses across North America on October 1st in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

Protests entered their fifth day in the city on Thursday, and demonstrators have vowed to escalate the protests and begin occupying government buildings if chief executive Leung Chun-ying does not resign by the end of the day. 

“Never before have we seen students protesting on such a large scale [in Hong Kong], especially with such a violent police response,” said Leung Yuen-tong, a 19-year-old Hong Kong resident studying at Tufts University who organised an event in Boston. “[We want] to show our support for the students...encourage all sides to remain peaceful.”

Heather Pickerell, a Harvard student from Hong Kong who created the event, said that she was surprised and proud of the way students quickly mobilised across the nation. She hoped that the demonstrations can help raise awareness in the US and help protect protesters in Hong Kong from forceful retaliation.