- Title: Meet the people in Hong Kong's protest movement
- Date: 17th August 2019
- Summary: VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING WITH AMERICAN FLAGS AND SINGING THE U.S. NATIONAL ANTHEM
- Embargoed: 31st August 2019 03:38
- Keywords: Hong Kong protesters protests people extradition bill one country two system China autonomy vox pop
- Location: HONG KONG, CHINA
- City: HONG KONG, CHINA
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA004ASVTFT3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:These are the protesters in Hong Kong: young, brave and fighting for what they say is the erosion of the "one country, two systems" arrangement enshrining some autonomy for Hong Kong when China took it back from Britain in 1997.
"From the UK to China, president Jiang (Zemin) at the time promised us that we are going to have general elections for both our legislative council and the chief executive. But none of that was happening... five years later not only that our promises are not fulfilled, they even put a China extradition bill which is even worse," said Woody Ho, a student.
The increasingly violent protests since June have plunged the Asian financial hub into its most serious crisis in decades and are one of the biggest popular challenges to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.
Despite the intense police response and a toughening stance from China, the movement that began two months ago in opposition to a bill allowing extradition to the mainland still seems to enjoy broad support in the city of more than 7 million people.
"I am at an older age, so I can't rush to the front line... what I can do is to back them, to support them," said a local citizen Helen, who was seen handing out bottled water to protesters while chanting "Go Hongkongers!" during a recent protest.
From singing the Christian hymn "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord", which has emerged as the unlikely anthem of the movement, to forming various support groups among themselves, protesters have created a well-developed system for providing supplies, aid and organising crowds.
"Hong Kong now is indeed in chaos, because the city is on the way towards democracy... I believe it would be a good day after the storm," said an unidentified aid worker. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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