Today, readers are responding to Nathan Vanderklippe’s coverage of the protests in Hong Kong over a proposed bill that would grant China the legal authority to extradite Hong Kong residents accused of serious crimes to the mainland. After a week of demonstrations involving tear gas, rubber bullets and the death of one 35-year-old protester, Hong Kong’s top leader, Carrie Lam, has indefinitely delayed the bill.
Now, as Chinese authorities reconsider their approach to Hong Kong following the stunning retreat, activists and observers say what has happened in this place on the edge of China may embolden others to respond to Beijing’s bid to expand its influence.
Protesters gather again to rally outside the Legislative Council government offices against a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong on June 17, 2019. Beijing reiterated its backing of Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam on June 17 after a massive demonstration demanding her resignation over a controversial extradition bill.ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP/Getty Images
Odour of Chrysanthemums: may it prevail in this struggle of David and Goliath. China wants too much.
A protester in Hong Kong offers a paper flower to honour a man who died after falling from a scaffolding while protesting the extradition bill.THOMAS PETER/Reuters
May the sacrifice [of the man who died] bring a future of peace and not hatred
The people of Hong Kong treasure their freedoms and will stand up for them. What an inspiration for democracy. If China had any honor it would acknowledge independence for Hong Kong and democracy.
There were no cell phones with cameras to record the Tiananmen Square Massacre. There are hundreds of thousands of these devices in Hong Kong. The Chinese leaders are quite aware that this time the whole world will have access to all the details.
How is it possible that Beijing backed down on its extradition legislation? We're told - ad nauseum - that China is ruled by ruthless, totalitarian dictators who brook no dissent. Likewise those same voices insist that the minute we turn our backs, China will be running Canada as a dictatorship as well..Yet according to this article, Beijing didn't swoop down, declare martial law, round up the protesters and assume control of Hong Kong's government. China wants to dominate the world? It doesn't even control the politics in one of its own territories. But do keep looking under your bed for communist infiltrators if it helps you sleep better at night.
Video shot by Globe journalist Nathan VanderKlippe shows protesters in Hong Kong on June 12 dousing a tear gas canister with water.
PRC apologists can frame this as anti-China Western induced subversion all they want. The numbers speak for themselves. When the threat of government potentially reaches the front door of your home with the power to remove you forever, it doesn't matter if your rich, poor, a student, or a banker, your freedom is an illusion that can disappear in a moment. This isn't about China as a nation. It's about the desire to be free from tyrannical authoritarian governments, and Hong Kong has clearly spoken.
Against the valor of the people of Hong Kong, many Western nations look craven as they allow totalitarian China's penetration of their economy with easy money from the printing press of the Communist Party of China.
Stand tall brave people of Hong Kong. You fight for your god-given human rights. The world is watching.
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