On October 4th, Hong Kong’s government used emergency powers to issue a ban on wearing masks at protests and demonstrations. These emergency powers have not been utilized since 1997. Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, has justified her decision to introduce such the regulation under a colonial-era precedent, stating the Hong Kong region is “now in a rather extensive and serious public danger.”

Lam continued, saying, “it is essential for us to stop violence and restore calm to society as soon as possible. We believe the new law will create a deterrent effect against masked protesters and rioters.”

However, the concern is not necessarily about masks. Lam’s decision to revert to very old means of enforcing the rule of law represents the ease with which she can go about restricting more individual Hong Kong citizen’s liberties. Jason Ng of the Progressive Lawyers Group, says the “most troubling aspect of the mask ban is the slippery slope argument.”

Ng goes on to further discuss how the next emergency executive order can escalate from something small like masks to regulating a curfew or even an element of martial law.

Demonstrators protested against this new exercise of control Friday and Saturday simply by sticking to their regularly scheduled practices of protest. Which became more intense as a result of the government’s move to put emergency powers into use at an already rough time. However, these most recent efforts ended in quite a bit of region-wide violence.

One especially violent scene from Friday night includes a fourteen-year-old being shot as a result of getting mixed within a “plain-clothed” police officer and a small group of protestors. Elsewhere, protestors launched petrol bombs at police offers and a second teenager was shot by authorities. Because so much damage was inflicted on businesses, public transportation units and more on Friday night, Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway shut down in entirety. Meaning that all 161 stations were inactive all day on Saturday. In addition to Hong Kong’s main form of public transportation is out of use, many banks, superstores, and groceries closed their operations for the day too. This intense form of social justice activism goes to show at the very least, some level of control is needed to present a message effectively and in a way that prevents unnecessary conflict.

That’s where Bruce Lee comes in. This leaderless movement has been searching for ways to develop unity while utilizing social media as it’s greatest catalyst. It is believed they have found such a method.

“Be shapeless, formless, like water.”

In recent weeks, this philosophy of Bruce Lee’s has resonated fervently in the minds and the hearts of Hong Kong’s protesters. In the protester’s ongoing fight to protect Hong Kong’s capacity as a “special administrative region” allowed autonomy within Chinese boundaries, the leaderless opposition movement has developed a 4-principle strategy based on this message conveyed by Bruce Lee.

Be strong like Ice. Be fluid like water. Gather like Dew. Scatter like Mist.

By following these four steps, demonstrators hope to harness their adaptability to avoid police confrontation, expand the scope of their region-wide activism, and, above all, to amplify their message of maintaining unity to achieve equality.

Advertisements

Share this: Facebook

Twitter



Leave this field empty if you're human: