Hong Kong’s struggle to defend against disenfranchisement and the political and social unrest that has resulted from said power struggle is on the verge of hitting its 5-month mark. Though active protest began at the start of June (with crowds reaching up to 2 million people), both protestors and retaliatory state officers have since increased the amount of force with which they meet their opponent.

The most recent instance of protests can be found in the August 9 takeover of Hong Kong’s international airport. The clashes between protestors, police forces, and specialized riot patrol officers resulted in countless flight cancellations, several assaults on individuals by mob violence, and days of chaos that only set back the independent system of government in Hong Kong even further. Even the current executive officer of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, has admitted she has little control left of her dissentient constituents and order in Hong Kong society as a whole.



The goal of the pro-democracy demonstrators is to oppose any legislative and political moves the executive leaders of Hong Kong support that could decrease Hong Kong’s autonomy, and an increase in similarity between the governments and economic values of its communist mother country. However, these protests have dragged on for months now without a proper response from any official government entity. This is most likely because the protest movement simply does not have a significant individual or group defined as a leader. It’s especially problematic because, without a body to oversee protest activity, it is very easy for some demonstrations to become attacks on alleged opposition figures. According to CNN, Protestors unsuccessful attempts earlier this summer to peacefully find common ground has “emphasized a key problem in leaderless protests: When no one is in control, whoever shouts loudest tend to get their way.”

Pro-democracy demonstrators are beginning to acknowledge that the lack of stable leadership within their movement may be a contributing factor to their unproductivity. Some have even begun making formal apologies to tourists who had to witness violence or endure nights in the airport due to canceled flights.

Even Hong Kong Native and Hollywood-prominent, Jackie Chan, realized it had become a timely moment to offer his opinion on what both parties’ next steps should be.

Peaceful protest by #hongkong pro democracy crowd at Martin Place in Sydney tonight. #antiEALB pic.twitter.com/AB54yLkLOo — Maree Ma (@maree_jun) August 16, 2019

“I deeply feel that safety, stability, and peace are just like fresh air, you never know how precious it is until you lose it. Hong Kong and China are my birthplaces and my home. China is my country, I love my country, I love my home. I hope that Hong Kong can return to peace soon,” says Chan.

His remarks in favor of peace and stability above all also included a pro-Beijing undertone. The emphasis put on China as the overarching “home” and “peace” as all Chinese should “return to soon” was not met with warm acceptance from the demonstrators in Hong Kong. Some responses include “Hong Kong hates you”, “Oh good old Jackie Chan. How does the CCP pill taste like?”, and simply, “Shameless”.

In addition, local businesses have begun experiencing a financial struggle to stay open. As the city enters its eighth week of mass protest, the economy has certainly begun taking a hit. The Hang Seng stock market index is currently trading at its lowest value since late 2016–interestingly enough, mainland Chinese investors seem to be taking this to their advantage. These investors have purchased more than five billion dollars worth of Hong Kong stocks within the last 20 trading sessions. This is a record high going all the way back to February of 2018.

As of now, many are in agreement that the most prosperous path forward is one that involves an increased leadership board, greater structure, and organization throughout each demonstration, and improved decorum on each protestors behalf. It’s clear both sides have the ability and are willing to go to extreme lengths to solidify their respective agenda’s. In this race to proving the worth of one’s cause, the side quicker to recruit massive, international support of their organized efforts will likely come out victorious.



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