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‘Stay or go?’ Hong Kong’s handover generation face tough choice | Human Rights News


Taipei, Taiwan – “Should I stay or should I go?” This is the question many young Hong Kongers face, 25 years after the city returned to Chinese rule.

At the time of the 1997 handover, Beijing promised the former British colony 50 years of autonomy, as well as civil and political rights that do not exist on the mainland ruled by the Communist Party. But Beijing’s increased crackdown on the city’s freedoms – including a national security law passed in 2020 that effectively quelled all dissent – has irrevocably changed. change the lives of the people of Hong Kong.

Iris, a 25-year-old, said: “Things that we thought would always exist here gradually faded away, like the system itself, like freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and we lost it. trust in his government. Hong Kong people who were born in the year of handover.

“Overall, our generation is pretty desperate about the future,” she said, asking to use only her first name. The office worker said many Hong Kongers consider her generation “cursed”.

Hong Kongers born around the time of the handover grew up in an atmosphere of protest against Beijing’s encroachment on their way of life. They were children during mass protests against a proposed national security law in 2003 and teenagers during the 2014 Occupy Central protests due to Beijing’s refusal to allow direct elections for leaders. city.

Those protests were followed in 2019 by mass protests against plans to allow extraditions to the mainland. The protests, which began peacefully before turning violent, have expanded to include calls for greater autonomy and even independence from Beijing.

Beijing responded the following year by imposing draconian national security laws that forbade acts of subversion, secession, terrorism, or collusion with well-defined foreign forces. Since then, most of the city’s political opposition has been jailed or forced into exile, dozens of civil society organizations have disbanded, and independent and critical media outlets have been forced to close the door. Under a sweeping overhaul of the electoral system, only candidates deemed “patriots” can run for seats in the city’s legislative chamber.

Occupy Hong Kong
The Occupy Central protests of Hong Kong in 2014 were triggered by Beijing’s refusal to allow direct elections for the city’s leader. [File: Daniel J. Groshong/Bloomberg]

Amid dwindling freedoms, nearly 60% of young people expressed a desire to emigrate by 2021, according to a survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Young Hong Kongers are more politically active than older people, according to one group, with surveys conducted in 2019 showing that around 87% of those aged 18-29 support the protests. pro-democracy sentiment and 63% said they had participated on their own.

Hong Kongers under the age of 25 have fewer options for escaping the city’s new political realities than their older counterparts. While those born before 1 July 1997, have transferred the right to a National Overseas passport in the UK, which has since last year provided a pathway to UK residency, young residents must find employment, study or family channels to migrate.

“As someone born in 1997, it sometimes feels like your future has been decided by those born before 1997, and you are not part of the conversation about how your future is, “Anna, the claimant is identified only by her first name.

The 25-year-old political activist has been living in exile outside of Hong Kong since taking part in running Telegram channels used to organize the 2019 protests. Others receive long prison sentences.

Anna said the decision was very difficult for her and her family – a decision that not all young Hong Kongers are able or willing to make.

Gary Pui-Mush Wong, a lecturer at the University of Leeds whose research includes Hong Kong’s cultural history, said the combined pressures of being a Hong Konger and a young person were a shock. strong blend.

Many people in their 20s are going through a transition period as they begin to think more seriously about their future careers and family prospects, Wong said. Even before 2019, he said, it was difficult in Hong Kong, where renting – let alone buying – an apartment was out of reach for most young people.

“Now they need to consider the future of the city in their individual plans,” Wong told Al Jazeera.

“If Hong Kong’s integration into mainland China continues, the city may be facing some fundamental changes, so they need to think about migration and especially if The UK and Canada are opening up options for some [university] graduates to move. “

Hong Kong exodus
Tens of thousands of people have fled Hong Kong due to the imposition of draconian national security laws and some of the world’s longest-running COVID restrictions. [File:Justin Chin/Bloomberg]

For young Hong Kongers who have chosen to stay in the city, some have found purpose through the city’s local movement. This movement, which has emerged over the past 15 years, has sought to preserve the differences between Hong Kong and mainland China, whether it’s the Cantonese language, colonial architecture or cha caan cafes. teng serves Western-Cantonese hybrid dishes.

Jen, a 25-year-old Hong Konger who runs cultural spaces and conducts research on Hong Kong culture, said exploring the city’s culture can allow free speech even if the subject is not interested. limited public political activity.

“I think a lot of people are talking about emigrating to another place, but I feel that after 2019, a lot of people also become interested in – or feel the importance of – studying and understanding Hong Kong culture. Kong,” she told Al Jazeera.

“I really feel that something can be done [here], providing space for various cultural events. We cannot do large-scale rallies or celebrate June 4 [the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square killings in Beijing], but that doesn’t mean everything has stopped. I want to continue with small-scale things.”

Olivia, a media worker born around the time of the handover, said that while she was bracing herself for harsher changes, such as closing her media base, she found solace in her community.

“Even though we can’t raise our voice [heard]we can still connect with the people around us,” Olivia told Al Jazeera, asking to be mentioned only by her name.

Recalling a recent visit with a friend who is serving a prison term for his political activities, she said she realized how important it was to stay in Hong Kong to support friends in need.

“Even though we can’t touch each other [when I visited], we can only see each other and talk to each other, we are connected. I could see him smiling,” she said. “I can hear his voice, and that’s really important. That is one of the reasons why I still stay in Hong Kong.”



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