Of course US and UK imperialists are seeing this as an opportunity to exert their influence and advance their interests. But there is genuine concern and frustration among the masses in Hong Kong against political repression.
You should’ve mentioned the enforced disappearance of bookstore owners in Hong Kong by Chinese government authorities a few years ago. This type of action is what the masses fear the most, erosion of democratic rights such as free speech. The working class movement needs these democratic rights to advance our interests, it gives us space to propagate Marxist ideas.
No one is denying that HK citizens have reasons to protest. Its the most expensive city in the world, and people live in tiny rooms that have nothing more than a bed. But their anger is directed in the completely wrong direction, they should protest against the property owners and the HK government, not against China.
They have been protesting against the HK government (including the current Chief Executive, Carrie Lam). However, that system is subordinate to the central mainland government, and that government has been directing the response to these protests. What reason is there to presume to know better about Hongkongers’ situation than they do themselves?
Did you know that companies vote directly for 30 out of 70 Legislative Council seats in Hong Kong? Why was it not part of the protestors demands to change this?
That the Hong Kong protestors are revisionist, they are literally asking for more capitalism and imperialism. Its not about right or wrong, its about the class character of the protest.
Okay, so even just reading the wikipedia article you can tell something stinks about how that’s being portrayed. This story is 3 years old now, and it looks like they’ve all reappeared, or been interviewed within the last year or so. It seems some of them were Chinese citizens that were using HK as a sanctuary to avoid criminal punishment.
Yiu was arrested by police in Shenzhen on charges of falsely labelling and smuggling industrial chemicals worth $220,000 in 2010 and was sentenced to prison for 10 years allegedly for smuggling, even though the real reason for the trumped up charges, in the eyes of many, was China’s increasing restrictions on political expression under Xi.
Sounds pretty serious to me.
On 29 February 2016, Lee Bo met with Hong Kong police and then gave a televised interview on the Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television in an undisclosed location in mainland China, in what was his first public appearance since he went missing. He held to the story that was in the letters published by Sing Tao, saying he “resorted to illegal immigration” to get to the mainland “to cooperate in a judicial investigation” as he did not want to draw attention to his visit. He denied that he was kidnapped, but did not give details as to how he actually entered Mainland China without his travel documents. Adding that his British citizenship had been sensationalised, Lee Bo says that he will abandon his right of abode in the United Kingdom.[117][118]
On 24 March, Lee Bo returned to Hong Kong and asked the authorities to drop the case like his three colleagues did before. He said he would never again sell banned books, and was transported back into the mainland in a vehicle with cross-border licence plates the next day.[119][120]
Seems like this one got solved on its own some years later.
Around the time of the disappearances, Gui Minhai was rumoured to have been working on a book regarding current CPC general secretary Xi Jinping’s personal history, tentatively named Xi and His Six Women (習近平和他的六個女人). The project was suggested to be linked to the disappearances.
Saying you immigrated illegally on purpose to go to a judicial investigation? Renouncing your citizenship to another country for totally random reasons? Yep, seems all fine and dandy to me!
Also, does the entire idea of “banned books” not strike you as a little, you know, authoritarian?
From the comments:
No one is denying that HK citizens have reasons to protest. Its the most expensive city in the world, and people live in tiny rooms that have nothing more than a bed. But their anger is directed in the completely wrong direction, they should protest against the property owners and the HK government, not against China.
They have been protesting against the HK government (including the current Chief Executive, Carrie Lam). However, that system is subordinate to the central mainland government, and that government has been directing the response to these protests. What reason is there to presume to know better about Hongkongers’ situation than they do themselves?
Did you know that companies vote directly for 30 out of 70 Legislative Council seats in Hong Kong? Why was it not part of the protestors demands to change this?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_constituency_(Hong_Kong)
You’re right, I guess I forgot the rule that protesters’ demands can only be valid if they address every single possible issue.
I’m amazed how well you are able to ignore every single point I make, and argue against strawmen instead.
What am I ignoring? I think it’s strange for leftists in the West to tell the people of Hong Kong they’re protesting wrong.
That the Hong Kong protestors are revisionist, they are literally asking for more capitalism and imperialism. Its not about right or wrong, its about the class character of the protest.
That doesn’t seem to be reflected in their demands:
full withdrawal of the extradition bill
an independent inquiry into the protests
fully democratic elections
dropping of the term “riot” in describing protests
general amnesty for everyone arrested so far
What do imperialism and capitalism have to do with any of that?
Listen to this to understand: https://soundcloud.com/moderaterebels/hong-kong-protests-anti-china-nativism-carl-zha
Could I get sources for this?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causeway_Bay_Books_disappearances
Okay, so even just reading the wikipedia article you can tell something stinks about how that’s being portrayed. This story is 3 years old now, and it looks like they’ve all reappeared, or been interviewed within the last year or so. It seems some of them were Chinese citizens that were using HK as a sanctuary to avoid criminal punishment.
Sounds pretty serious to me.
Seems like this one got solved on its own some years later.
This Glenn Beck guy looks like he resurfaced in 2018.
Saying you immigrated illegally on purpose to go to a judicial investigation? Renouncing your citizenship to another country for totally random reasons? Yep, seems all fine and dandy to me!
Also, does the entire idea of “banned books” not strike you as a little, you know, authoritarian?
This exactly. It makes me so confused when leftists would defend something like book bans.