HK activist Joshua Wong calls Hong Kong a police state, says US should support democratization

In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Joshua Wong, one of the leaders of the growing protests in Hong Kong said that the “US politicians should take a more active role to support Hong Kong democratization.”

Mr Wong acknowledged however that under the leadership of President Donald Trump, “business interests or the life of Americans might be more important than human rights.”

Ms Amanpour talked to Mr Wong concerning a number of issues—from the sit-ins at Hong Kong International Airport that successfully shut down the transport hub, to his meeting with US diplomat, to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s accusation that the protests were affecting the city’s economy, to the widely distributed photos from China of armed police massing up in Shenzhen.

The CNN interviewer played for Mr Wong a video clip of the Chinese government spokesman for Hong Kong affairs said about the protests, who had called the protests “a formidable challenge to Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity.”

Furthermore, the spokesman said that “such violent crimes” “must be firmly tackled with a tough stance and no mercy.”

In response, Mr Wong said, “In the battle of David versus Goliath, we never give up and never step backward. Just how people gather today at Hong Kong International Airport with the slogan to support Hong Kong human rights and democracy acts in US, we hope to continue our fight and seek allies around the world to support us. We will not be threatened by Beijing.”

Ms Amanpour also asked Mr Wong who is a student activist and secretary-general of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy party and who has spent time in jail if he’s not worried about the escalation of protests, as well as the matching escalation in the response from Beijing?

He responded by saying that all that Hong Kong’s citizens are fighting for is their basic human rights.

“We hope to vote in the election and elect our own government…. We are not sure whether they will send the Peoples liberation Army to Hong Kong to suppress its protests or not… We’re strongly aware that if they send the PLA it will just result in the crackdown of the economic development of Hong Kong, even capital tycoons strongly urge Beijing not to send PLA, that’s why riot police continue to upgrade their weapons even using life-threatening ways to suppress Hong Kong people.

From what I experienced yesterday I can now say that Hong Kong has already transformed to be a police state and Hong Kong police attempt to murder ordinary citizens.”

During the course of the interview, Ms Amanpour asked Mr Wong about his meeting with US diplomat Julie Eadeh, since China’s state broadcaster CCTV had said that Ms Eadeh is “the behind-the-scenes black hand creating chaos in Hong Kong.”

Mr Wong answered that it’s necessary to let other countries know about what’s happening in Hong Kong. “Sharing our point of view to diplomats from the US and different countries around the world is really common and reasonable. If we need to let people around the world know about what’s the next step and how we or Hong Kong people are passionate and determined to continue our protest.

When Hong Kong people were fired with tear gas and rubber bullets purchased and produced by the US, it’s really reasonable to have a meeting with those US diplomats and to explain the concern of Hong Kong people.

We urge the US government – take the reference from what has been announced by the UK, stop the export license of crowd control equipment to Hong Kong. Never should US show any kind of bullets or tear gas to Hong Kong riot police, and they should not be part of the supporters of police brutality in Hong Kong.”

/ TISG

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