Pro-Democracy Protesters in Hong Kong Want Americans to Pay Attention

Call for local governments to act

Beatrice Li and Andy Li say they used to be ordinary Hong Kong citizens. Now they risk police violence to protest for democracy in their city. They use their batons, their pepper spray against people who are just happened to be traveling on a train. And they storm into a train, they beat people up, and then they get out. They do not do any arrests to those people. They travelled abroad with a small group of activists to make sure other countries hear their message. And they have a message for President Trump.

We are in Paris, we have Hong Kongers in Berlin, we have Hong Kongers in Strasbourg, in London. All of us, all Hong Kongers, are calling for unity, for solidarity among Hong Kongers around the world, and to call for local governments to act. To enact policies. To offer relief to freedom fighters on the other side of the world. President Trump: listen to Hong Kongers calling from the other side of the world. Listen to Hong Kongers on US soil, calling for your government to act. Listen to American citizens calling on you to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy act. Show that America is not to be bullied around by China. Show that America stands with the people, with freedom, and with human rights.

In April, the Chinese government proposed an extradition bill that threatened Hong Kong's legal autonomy from the mainland. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets, launching months of massive protests. There was a violent police crackdown. Today, just leaving Hong Kong is risky. Despite the danger, Beatrice and Andy said Hong Kongers were committed to fighting on. Hong Kong's government promised to withdraw the extradition bill but many Hong Kongers remain skeptical. They say that anyone who cares about democracy should pay attention to what is happening in Hong Kong.

Brut.