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: the protesters. At times they
: have even punched and beat the
: demonstrators.

Dora Liu,
The Dialog

o fight for real democracy,
Hong Kong has undergone

protests since 1967. Hong Kong
students are playing the decisive
role in this pro-democracy
movement.

On August 31, China
announced that all citizens of
Hong Kong will be able to elect
their Chief Executive in 2017 as
a promised democratic reform.
However, China also said that
the candidates must be the two
or three people selected by a
nomination committee which is
seen as friendly to Beijing.

This tricky reform triggered
the Hong Kong Federation of
Students (HKFS) to call for
a week-long class boycott on
September 22 of all Hong Kong
tertiary education institutions.

The Hong Kong government
gave no response to the class
boycott and sit-down strike that
brought the students to besiege
the government headquarters.

Then, pepper spray was shot
at the students.

On September 28, police
fired 87 tear gas canisters,
powerful pepper spray and an
unknown number of plastic
bullets at the protesters. In
response, over 100,000 citizens
took to the streets, occupying
Hong Kong’s main business areas
as their bargaining chip to force
the government to withdraw the
election restriction.

That kicked off the
unprecedented pro-democracy
movement. Some foreign
media called it the “Umbrella
Revolution.”

The movement is still
going on, even as groups of
thugs continue to intimidate

However, the HKFS

: announced that they will not

¢ : withdraw.
the most turbulent period of mass :

The Hong Kong government

: said that they will not even offer a
: conversation with the students as
: they refused to go home.

No one knows the result;

: most believe the movement will
: fail. However, in this unending
: demonstration, what have the

: students learned? We interviewed :
: three students from Hong Kong
: and Toronto.

Timothy Chan, 20, isa

: second-year student at the Hong

: Kong University of Science and

: Technology. He suffered tear gas

: and pepper spray while protesting
: several times. He has still gone to
: the street every day since Sept. 22.

”*What have I learned from

: this movement? I think it’s the
: importance of knowledge, only
: knowledge can make change of
: our world,” said Chan.

“While we were having a

: sit-down strike in front of the

: government headquarters, HKFS
: organized some professors

: from different universities and

: colleges to give talks to us. In that,
: professor Chow Po Chung talked

: about the freedom and democracy :
: in political philosophy, and

: another professor, David Lloyd
: Smith, gave a talk named

“Totalitarianism and George

: Orwell.” Those inspired me the
: most. They made me realize what
: can change our future,” said Chan.

“T know it (occupying

: business areas) is not the only way :
: to achieve our goal, but if we don’t :
: go, then who?” asked Chan. “My

: friend said, ‘persistence is victory.
: I do believe it is true.”

Ethan Han, 27, is a first-year

student in financial planning at
: George Brown College who was

i born in mainland China.

“I can understand and fully

: support what the Hong Kong

: people have done,” said Han. “For
: this year I am living in Toronto.

: [ enjoy that all my human rights

: have been respected by everyone;
: T enjoy that all the chances I

: came across can be gained by fair
: competition. I know they are all

: about democracy.”

“Looking as people in Hong

: Kong strive for their good future,
: Ican relate.” said Han. “T hope

one day my kids and my family

: will live ina fairand just world
: where we don’ need to strive for
: freedom or for democracy.’

Han said, “I don’t think

: everybody should vote, but as a
: Chinese, a mainland Chinese, if
: one day I can vote but I give up

: this privilege, that would be an

: unforgivable mistake.”

Andrew Leung, 20, is a third-

: year student in political science

: at the University of Toronto (U

: of T). He was born in Hong Kong
: but has lived in Toronto for four

: years. He is one of the leaders

: of the Ontario United Front of

: Hong Kong Students (OUFS), and
: organized a demonstration at the
: UofT to support the umbrella

: revolution, which had overa

: thousand people participate.

“T felt interested in politics

: since I was in high school. I

: found it’s only being involved in
: politics that can make change

: in the world,’ said Leung. “But

: these years, seeing what the

: politicians did, I already have no
: expectations for them.”

“IT always believe that good
things only can be done by
persistence. It was proven by this

: movement,” said Leung. “I am so
: proud of what the Hong Kong

: students have done. They made

: me feel that Hong Kong still has
: hope. I definitely believe that.”

theotherpress.ca

» Students share their thoughts on the
pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong

 

Timothy Chan, a student at the Hong Kong
University of Science and Technology

Andrew Leung is a student at University of
Toronto (U of T) and a leader of Ontario United
Front of Hong Kong Students