Staying Informed: Halloween Happenings in Hong Kong Among Protests
By Mary Kaitlin Enright
image via france24.com
To say the least, this year’s Halloween celebration in Hong Kong looked significantly different than it did in years past. The region, which has been overwhelmed with pro-democracy and anti-government protests for nearly four months, could, in previous years, be characterized as a scene of joyful celebration on this holiday. However, the masks that Hong Kongers wore this year were not playful costumes, but signs of defiance towards a mask ban put in place by the region’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, in the face of recent protests.
Across all of Hong Kong, Hallow’s Eve was filled with disruptions and violence. The MTR (Hong Kong’s subway system) was shut down early to deter protesters; The city’s favorite theme park, Ocean Park, canceled the last evening of its signature Halloween Fest due to “the social situation.” Swarms of protesters flooded the streets wearing masks that directly violated the recent mask ban law. Police officers fired tear gas and sprayed pepper spray into the faces of protesters in multiple locations across the city where masked members of the movement, as well as passers-by enjoying Halloweekend festivities, were gathered.
How did we get here? For some context, Hong Kong’s history is a tale worth telling.
The 1997 Handover marked the return of Hong Kong to China from the U.K., after a long period of British colonial rule. Upon this event, China promised Hong Kong 50 years of a “one country, two systems” structure, under which Hong Kong’s way of life and its right to its own legal and judicial system were to remain unchanged. However, it wasn’t too many years later that it appeared as though those freedoms were at risk of threat from China’s imposition. The first large protest on record was on July 1st, 2003, the seventh anniversary of the Handover. Since then, there have been years of discontentment within the special administrative region, on and off.
More recently, however, the protests have escalated from on-and-off, peaceful demonstrations, to heated and violent ones. In June 2019, the most recent, and largest, series of protests began, and are still ongoing after over four months. This wave began when over one million people erupted in protest in response to the proposal of a bill that would allow the extradition of criminal suspects in Hong Kong to China. Concerned that this action might pose a threat to Hong Kong’s rights to autonomy in legal and judicial proceedings, Hong Kongers swarmed the streets with intentions to peacefully stand up for their rights. Over the course of the three months following, protests turned ugly, then uglier. The bill was ultimately withdrawn in early September, but to the protesters, this was “too little too late.” Protests are still ongoing and increasing in violence.
The protest has embodied the slogan of “Five demands, not one less!”, often symbolized by raising a hand of all five fingers into the air. The four that remain following the withdrawal of the extradition bill (the first demand) are:
For the protests not to be characterised as a "riot"
Amnesty for arrested protesters
An independent inquiry into alleged police brutality
Implementation of complete universal suffrage
The protests in Hong Kong for the above stated rights have resulted in over 1,400 injuries by way of police brutality in the forms of physical violence with batons, tear gas grenade firings, non-lethal projectiles (i.e. rubber bullets), and one by way of live bullet when an 18-year-old boy was shot in the chest in the heat of protests on October 1st, China’s National Day. In addition, over 2,600 protest-related arrests have occurred, over one third of which are under 18 years of age.
image via theweek.in
So, the Guy Fawkes masks, Chinese President Xi Jinping masks, Hong Kong Chief Executive masks, and more that Hong Kongers wore on Thursday evening were not in celebration of Halloween but in solidarity. As Hong Kong stands up for what they believe in, ask yourself: what do you believe in?
Being informed about the happenings in the world, especially those that regard the very ground that our own country is built on: freedom, is an important part of living a balanced life. As Villanovans, we are taught to ignite change through truth, unity, and charity. Do you think that the Hong Kong protesters are igniting change? Think more and learn more about the movement in Hong Kong (if you are so inclined), here.
