2019 Hong Kong Extradition Protests

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The ongoing 2019 Hong Kong extradition protests are taking place in the Chinese-occupied territory of Hong Kong, which desires freedom, democracy, and independence from the communist dictatorship People's Republic of China. The Hong Kongers are fighting for self-determination.^[1] The protests began in 2019, but continued through 2020 and 2021. The protesters endorsed Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.^[2] The civil rights group which organized many of the protests, particularly in 2019, was forced to disband in August 2021.^[3]

Background Information[edit]

See Hong Kong#Democratic issues

Memes[edit]

The Hong Kong protesters have used several memes to express their desires. For example, like the American flag, they hold up Pepe the Frog as a symbol of freedom and liberty.^[4][5] When President Trump tweeted a photoshopped meme of his face on the body of fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, Hong Kong protesters held up these photographs.^[6] Hong Kong protesters have used memes comparing Chinese dictator Xi Jinping to children's character Winnie the Pooh, even after the latter was banned in China. Hong Kong protesters screened an episode of the animated series South Park which was very critical of the Chinese government, and which caused the series to be banned in China.^[7]

Additionally, the reply of a Hong Kong protester to a question by the interviewer regarding how President Trump should respond to these protests has become a popular meme.^[8]

Chinese censorship[edit]

Not only have the Chinese authorities brutally suppressed the Hong Kong protests, they have censored anyone who defends the protesters. In addition to South Park, YouTuber PewDiePie has been banned.^[9]

Chinese apologism[edit]

See Chinese apologist

Western leftist companies have hypocritically condemned Donald Trump while going out of their way to please the Chinese (see Liberal corporate tyranny). Like the Chinese, they have censored those who defend Hong Kong.^[10][11]

Additionally, Antifa and other far-left social justice warriors have smeared the Hong Kong protesters as "far-right" and "fascists."^[4][12][13] Despite most of those surveyed voting for the Hong Kong protesters, climate cultist Greta Thunberg was selected for the leftist Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" in 2019.^[14]

Admiration of America[edit]

As with many freedom fighters over the years,^[15][16] the Hong Kong protesters hold up the United States of America as a symbol of freedom and liberty. They wave American flags and sing the American national anthem.^[17][18]

Ezra Levant of Rebel News has even called for them to immigrate to Canada as legitimate political refugees.^[19]

Admiration of President Trump[edit]

The Hong Kong protesters are Trump supporters.^[20] They have used pro-Trump memes, and some of them wear their own variation of MAGA hats.^[21] Trump has responded in kind, signing legislation defending Hong Kong,^[22][23] and enacting additional tariffs against China.

The protesters backed Trump's claims of 2020 election fraud, expressed solidarity with Trump after he was banned from Twitter, and even castigated Trump critics within their ranks as "leftards."^[13]

Five Demands[edit]

The Five Demands of the Hong Kong protesters are: to withdraw the Chinese bill requiring the extradition of people accused of crimes in Hong Kong to mainland China; to commission an inquiry into the brutality of Hong Kong police; to cease classifying Hong Kong protesters as "rioters;" for the protesters who have been arrested by the police to receive immediate amnesty; and dual universal suffrage.

Hong Kong protesters frequently use the slogan, "Five Demands, Not One Less."^[24]

Successes[edit]

The original extradition bill has been withdrawn, but since the rest of the Five Demands (see above) were not addressed, this amounted to nothing more than a meaningless gesture.^[25]

Hong Kong democrats won the 2019 general election,^[26] to which protesters had a mixed reaction.^[27]

2020[edit]

The valiant efforts of the protesters led to many great successes and significant international attention in 2019,^[28][29] and they continued their fight through 2020.^[30][31] The Hong Kongers are continuing to fight fiercely for their independence.^[32]

The common people in Australia are angered by their pro-Chinese politicians.^[33]

Mass arrests of non-violent demonstrators were commonplace in 2020.^{[34][35][36][37][38]}

In June 2020, China passed a "National Security" law reinforcing and strengthening its stranglehold over Hong Kong^[39] (read the full English translation of the law here). Subsequently, in August, Jimmy Lai, a prominent pro-democracy journalist and activist in Hong Kong, was arrested along with several other activists,^[40][41] sparking protests in Canada against Chinese authoritarianism and against what appeared to the protesters to be appeasement of the Chinese Communist Party by Canadian federal (and local) politicians.^[42][43] Two pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmakers were arrested (along with several other people) for being critical of the Beijing and Hong Kong governments.^[44]

A Chinese official warned Norway not to award the Hong Kong protesters the Nobel Peace Prize,^[45] speaking of their nomination in February.^[46] Norway and the Nobel Committee did not directly respond to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's threats, but the Hong Kong protesters were not selected to receive the Nobel.^[47] Yi's trip to Europe in late August was met with protests over human rights abuses, especially in Hong Kong.^[48]

In November, seven political figures in Hong Kong supportive of democracy were arrested, including four active members of the legislature.^[49] An eighth was arrested subsequently.^[50]

2021[edit]

In March 2021, China reduced the number of directly elected seats in the Hong Kong legislature from 35 out of 70 to 20 out of 90, in order to spite the Hong Kong protesters. This move lessened the voice of the already weakened pro-democracy legislators, as all non-elected legislators are Beijing puppets.^[51]

References[edit]