By Dominic Gismondi, Staff Writer
The United Kingdom, on July 1, 1997, made one of the worst decisions in its long history. It returned Hong Kong to China. Though it was impossible to know at the time, this decision would render millions of lives of Hong Kong citizens undeniably worse.
On that day, a clock started ticking on when the People’s Republic of China would encroach on the freedoms it guaranteed Hong Kong in that deal. That clock ran out just over a year ago when Hong Kong began protesting the very government to which the United Kingdom had entrusted them. Tens of thousands of college students, doctors and people of all walks of life flocked to the streets, peacefully demanding Hong Kong remain autonomous from mainland China, which a newly passed law had threatened. To the surprise of many, that fight still rages on today.
Just in the past week, 86 liberty protestors were arrested on the street. They were arrested because the Chinese government wanted empty streets for its upcoming National Day celebration, a holiday commemorating the founding of the People’s Republic of China, one of the most brutal tyrannical regimes since Stalin’s USSR. Just a few days ago, over 40 nations spoke out against China’s human rights policies, calling on the world to “act collectively and decisively” to make certain its government respects human rights, particularly in Hong Kong.
The protests themselves operate democratically. Supporters flock to an online forum called lihkg.com, where information is compiled and decisions are made. It is through this method the liberty protesters remain leaderless and anonymous, for fear of targeted retaliation by the Chinese government. This fear of retaliation is entirely warranted, as there are reports that Chinese police ensure some arrested protesters go “missing.” The liberty protestors face wicked and unjust tactics from their oppressors. It is wholly disturbing in content and the most startling example of police brutality in the world today.
What is perhaps most disturbing of all is a recent image circulating the LIHKG website of a large covered truck driving from Beijing to Hong Kong, a corner of the covering appears to reveal tank treads. While this image has not yet been confirmed by outside sources, it recalls an equally disturbing image of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, where a column of tanks was stopped by a single unknown man. Much like his modern “missing” counterparts, the fate of this man is unknown.
The modern Chinese government is equally no stranger to such barbarism and is certainly capable of it. They currently keep and maintain over 200 concentration camps. Reminiscent of those camps that came before it, these facilities in the western half of the province hold most of the country’s Uyghur Muslim population. These people are put into labor camps and are forcibly sterilized, as China is attempting to “homogenize” Chinese culture. Zhenishan Berdibek, who spent almost a year in one of these camps, said, “I wanted to die inside the camp.” The People’s Republic of China stands as a constant threat to human rights all over the world and it is worth noting that Hong Kong protestors, should they fail, will likely be subjected to the same treatment.
The fight to free Hong Kong is easily the most important fight for freedom and democracy in the world today. Should it succeed, the freedoms of over 7.5 million people will be maintained, and it will strike a major blow against the threat of tyranny by authoritarianism. Should it fail, those 7.5 million people will be subjected to unimaginable brutality. It is a fight worth following and I would encourage anyone and everyone to support it in any way they can.
gismondm19@bonaventure.edu
