Why Hong Kong has erupted into protest after new Chinese laws

Protests are taking place in Hong Kong. Over 300 people have been arrested by police. Violence is yet again raging in the streets.

We asked a pro-democracy Wilson Leung activist in Hong Kong why people are protesting.

The Chinese government claims these laws are aimed at fighting domestic terrorism.

These protests are nothing new. In 2003, marches against a similar law to the one being proposed now by Beijing were successful in preventing the legislation from being enacted. In 2014 the umbrella movement demanded democracy and the right for Hong Kongers to elect their own leaders. Just last year hundreds of thousands took to the streets in defiance of a law that would extradite alleged criminals to mainland China. Eventually, the law was scrapped. Why don’t we see similar protests in other Chinese cities? Because of an agreement in 1997 between Britain and China. Hong Kong was a British colony for 150 years, but after a lease allowing the UK to govern Hong Kong ran out, the two governments negotiated a transition agreement. This agreement would allow for Hong Kong to be run in what became known as ‘one country, two systems’.

Read more: Hong Kong police fire tear gas and water cannons as protesters rage over China plans for strict new security laws - https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11697653/hong-kong-police-tear-gas-security-laws/

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