Hong Kong protests

[Anonymous]

I no like the protests in Vancouver. We have nothing to do with China or Hong Kong. Some people are making it a big deal here.

Are they all over the city or concentrated in one area?

There was a protested at Broadway SkyTrain station. There's a wall at Simon Fraser university covered with hundreds of notes. Some Chinese guy in New Westminster writing stuff on the streets and stairwells. Trying to spread awareness and draw attention. People think we need to band together and support Hong Kong. Nobody trying to get us to care about other cities around the world. Hong Kong-ers must be more important.

I would assume the same actions are happening down in Toronto.

[Anonymous]

I am hardly an expert on the grievances between HK and the mainland. I read this article that summarizes the situation. If it's wrong, perhaps Fash, SL, Zetsu or TVG can better explain it.



Why hong Kong is in turmoil

Extradition bill sparked protests in former British colony



Over the last few months, Hong Kong — a denselypopulated financial centre that is a key influence on the world's economy — has devolved into sometimes-chaotic scenes of violence.



What started as protests during weekends has turned into near-daily disruptions that includes sit-ins, occupations, blockades, strikes and riots.



the objective? to stop the passage of an extradition bill that could force citizens arrested in Hong Kong, a former British colony, to be transported to mainland China to face justice. the impetus of the extradition bill came in 2018, when a man from Hong Kong was alleged to have killed his pregnant girlfriend while in taiwan. after he flew back to Hong Kong, taiwan was unable to extradite him because there was no agreement in place between the two territories for his transfer.



Hong Kong also does not have an extradition law with either mainland China or Macau — another former colony under Portuguese rule until 1999.



the Hong Kong government proposed legislation earlier this year to close this legal loophole, but residents worry the territory is opening itself up to the long — and often harsh — arm of Chinese law, which is controlled politically in Beijing.



RECENT history



after the united Kingdom handed the territory back to China in 1997 following 156 years of British rule, Hong Kong was made a special administrative region with its own laws, a "one country, two systems" arrangement that eased its transfer to the most populous country on the planet.



the Basic Law of Hong Kong gives citizens living in the territory the constitutional right to participate in local elections, which is enshrined for 50 years after its transfer to China.



Residents, who consider themselves Hong Kongers instead of Chinese, are also guaranteed freedom of speech, the right to a free press, and the right to protest.



Extradition Bill



Officially known as the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (amendment) Bill 2019, the proposed legislation seeks to make arrangements for those accused of crimes to be extradited between Hong Kong and anywhere outside the territory. the bill was proposed in the Hong Kong legislature in February and had its first reading in april. Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong and backed by China's political leaders, faced massive backlash to the bill's introduction in early June but continued to support the proposed extradition amendment.



Protesters then demanded Lam's resignation for continuing to push ahead with the bill. In response, Lam blamed protest organizers for the intense clashes with police that broke out before she backed down June 15 and announced a pause in the bill's passage during massive street protests.



the next day, organizers claimed nearly two million people marched and demanded the bill be withdrawn and Lam resign. Hong Kong's embattled leader released a statement apologizing for the turmoil the bill had caused and said that there would be no further push to make the bill law. On June 18, Lam held a press conference and apologized to the people of Hong Kong, acknowledging that "deficiencies in the government's work had led to substantial controversies and disputes in society."

[Anonymous]

Today's protest in Vancouver. The Hong Kong supporters in black shirts vs China people in the red. I fear that this is gonna be a weekly thing.

[Anonymous]

It has been interesting to see the Hong Kong protests evolve from students opposing a piece of legislation (extradition to China bill), to some kind of ad-hoc democracy movement that desires increased democratic voting rights and less influence from mainland China. Not to burst their ideological bubble, but Hong Kong protesters should think twice about believing that western democracy is some kind of model to be emulated. Between their shrill screams at the Hong Kong airport, they might want to pause and consider that a democratically won Brexit has been undermined by a political cabal that believes it knows better, and that in the United States a democratically elected president has been systematically undermined rather than waiting for the next democratic election to kick him out of office. Democracy is a slippery mess. On the one hand, we all fret about whether our vote counts, how important it is to participate in the process, yet democratic institutions have been perverted into devaluing some votes in favour of others. True democracy is allowing the majority to make a decision, even if it turns out to be the wrong one, so that everyone can learn from it and reverse it at the next election if necessary. The minute we allow or accept that small groups are entitled to thwart the will of the majority, we undermine the very purpose of democracy to the point where our Western elections are probably as much of a charade as Chinese ones. Or Hong Kong ones.

[Anonymous]

It has been interesting to see the Hong Kong protests evolve from students opposing a piece of legislation (extradition to China bill), to some kind of ad-hoc democracy movement that desires increased democratic voting rights and less influence from mainland China. Not to burst their ideological bubble, but Hong Kong protesters should think twice about believing that western democracy is some kind of model to be emulated. Between their shrill screams at the Hong Kong airport, they might want to pause and consider that a democratically won Brexit has been undermined by a political cabal that believes it knows better, and that in the United States a democratically elected president has been systematically undermined rather than waiting for the next democratic election to kick him out of office. Democracy is a slippery mess. On the one hand, we all fret about whether our vote counts, how important it is to participate in the process, yet democratic institutions have been perverted into devaluing some votes in favour of others. True democracy is allowing the majority to make a decision, even if it turns out to be the wrong one, so that everyone can learn from it and reverse it at the next election if necessary. The minute we allow or accept that small groups are entitled to thwart the will of the majority, we undermine the very purpose of democracy to the point where our Western elections are probably as much of a charade as Chinese ones. Or Hong Kong ones.

Democracy needs reform, true dat.

[Anonymous]

I understand the how the protests in Hong Kong have evolved..



But, the standing committee in Peking is made up of hardliners..



This could get very bloody.

[Anonymous]

It has been interesting to see the Hong Kong protests evolve from students opposing a piece of legislation (extradition to China bill), to some kind of ad-hoc democracy movement that desires increased democratic voting rights and less influence from mainland China. Not to burst their ideological bubble, but Hong Kong protesters should think twice about believing that western democracy is some kind of model to be emulated. Between their shrill screams at the Hong Kong airport, they might want to pause and consider that a democratically won Brexit has been undermined by a political cabal that believes it knows better, and that in the United States a democratically elected president has been systematically undermined rather than waiting for the next democratic election to kick him out of office. Democracy is a slippery mess. On the one hand, we all fret about whether our vote counts, how important it is to participate in the process, yet democratic institutions have been perverted into devaluing some votes in favour of others. True democracy is allowing the majority to make a decision, even if it turns out to be the wrong one, so that everyone can learn from it and reverse it at the next election if necessary. The minute we allow or accept that small groups are entitled to thwart the will of the majority, we undermine the very purpose of democracy to the point where our Western elections are probably as much of a charade as Chinese ones. Or Hong Kong ones.

Democracy needs reform, true dat.

Like you said, democracy was not designed for the information age.

[Vancouver]

Today's protest in Vancouver. The Hong Kong supporters in black shirts vs China people in the red. I fear that this is gonna be a weekly thing.

[Gaon]

Today's protest in Vancouver. The Hong Kong supporters in black shirts vs China people in the red. I fear that this is gonna be a weekly thing.

[Anonymous]

Today's protest in Vancouver. The Hong Kong supporters in black shirts vs China people in the red. I fear that this is gonna be a weekly thing.

[Gaon]

I read that two million people joined yesterday's protests. TWO MILLION.

[Anonymous]

I read that two million people joined yesterday's protests. TWO MILLION.

That would be one quarter of Hong Kong's population..



I doubt that many people were in the streets.

[Bricktop]

We were considering flying Cathay Pacific to the UK next year.



Not now.

[Anonymous]

I just saw pro China and pro HK protests on Granville street in Vancouver on the National.

[Anonymous]

We were considering flying Cathay Pacific to the UK next year.



Not now.

Why not? Cathay Pacific is a first rate airline.