Extradition bill crisis: Why are the young people of Hong Kong angry and deeply unhappy?

Devastating scenes of vandalism at the city’s legislature have shocked the world and exposed the despair and desperation of Hong Kong’s youth

Adults care about their jobs and flats but kids only think of right and wrong, with a pure heart, one online commentator says

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Protesters gather outside police headquarters in Wan Chai on June 21 during a siege that lasted 15 hours. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 8:00am, 12 Jul 2019Updated: 11:32am, 12 Jul 2019

Inside the still gleaming new-age Legislative Council complex in Tamar, built only eight years ago, the youngsters used the bright white walls to share their feelings with the world.

In the dim light, words such as “dog officials”, “freedom” and “Hong Kong is not China – not yet” appeared almost instantaneously as they shook spray paint cans and scrawled out Chinese characters, interspersed with lines in English.

It was July 1, the day to mark the 22nd anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule.

The protesters, who had stormed the building after eight hours of besieging it, also defaced the city’s emblem on the main wall of the chamber, smashed equipment and installations, including the portraits of the three post handover presidents of the legislature.

A group of around 10 diehards apparently even had a “bring it on” mentality. They were ready, according to police sources, to sacrifice themselves to draw global attention to their cause in demanding the complete withdrawal of the shelved extradition bill.

Many later told the media they felt guilty at the three sudden deaths that appeared to be related to the bill. “To those three”, one of the messages painted in black read. That number would later rise to four. What was it about the bill, which would have allowed the transfer of fugitives to mainland China and other jurisdictions which the city does not have a deal with, that sparked the protests and the destruction of the chamber?