Hong Kong protests: 10 top reads as the city’s social unrest marks five months since it began
- It started with a peaceful march. It has turned into months of social unrest, violence, hatred in society, a beleaguered government and police force and no end in sight
It is five months since an estimated 1 million people took to the streets on June 9 in Hong Kong to peacefully march in opposition to a proposed extradition bill that would allow the transfer of fugitives to mainland China among other jurisdictions.
The government pressed ahead regardless, resulting in the first clashes on June 12 as the city’s legislature was besieged. The city’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced the bill was “suspended” on June 15 but an estimated 2 million people still came out to protest again the following day.
Since then events have snowballed with scenes of increasing violence between protesters and police. The city’s legislature was stormed and trashed on July 1 and society has been torn apart as rival groups openly brawl on the streets. The hated bill which sparked it all has been officially withdrawn and this week the first fatality linked to police operations was confirmed when student Chow Tsz-lok died from injuries suffered during a fall in car park.
To mark the protests entering their sixth month, we have compiled 10 of our best long reads since the coverage began.
1. Anti-government protesters versus police: understanding the psychology of hate
With society split into two camps, and online platforms strengthening mutual antipathy, we look at the psychology of hate, and its effects on how the young activists see the authorities
2. How Hong Kong’s police are holding city back from the brink
Once a demoralised force under constant attack by protesters and widely criticised by the public, police are now finding new strength in their role as the last line of defence to prevent total chaos in the absence of a political solution
3. Blindsided: why does Beijing keep getting Hong Kong wrong?
Beijing keeps failing to grasp the sentiment in the city, leading to explosive results. We look into the reasons why
4. #ProtestToo: the women at the forefront of Hong Kong’s anti-government movement
Female protesters are increasingly facing off against police amid escalating violence during the city’s summer of discontent. Some say the movement has helped change stereotypes but it has also seen reports of sexual violence and other forms of harassment
5. The trouble with trying to turn Hong Kong’s young people into ‘patriotic youth’
The Hong Kong government has poured millions of dollars into programmes to expose the younger generation to mainland China but the campaign has failed to foster national pride
6. Scapegoats or scoundrels? Why ties between Beijing and Hong Kong’s property tycoons are unravelling amid protest crisis
Focusing on the role of housing in causing great disaffection in society, we examine the close ties between the city’s property tycoons and Beijing, and how a recalibration might be due
7. The Hong Kong teenagers risking it all for their ideals
From throwing bricks at police vans to becoming experts at putting out tear gas, meet the teenagers who are risking it all for their ideals, saving their lunch and pocket money to buy gear and putting their hobbies on hold
8. How peaceful mass marches escalated to intense violence, a bitterly divided society and a loss of innocence
9. Not the Michelin guide: Hong Kong restaurants branded ‘yellow’ if they support protests, ‘blue’ if they don’t
Establishments risk attack, loss of business, harassment once they reveal political stance. Protest supporters flock to ‘yellow-ribbon’ eateries, shun ‘blue-ribbon’ restaurants
10. Young, educated mainland Chinese are questioning their place in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has attracted thousands of professionals from mainland China but a summer of unrest has left many questioning the protests and their own place in the city
BONUS READ: How have the Hong Kong protests of 2019 been different from 2014’s Occupy movement
Five years ago, at 5.57pm on September 28, police fired tear gas for the first time at hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers, triggering the 79-day Occupy movement. Fast forward to the present and Hong Kong is again in the throes of an anti-government protest, sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill, this time bigger and more defiant. Here is a look at the key differences between the two movements.
