Joshua Wong will speak Tuesday to the U.S. Congress after he visited Germany and Taiwan to drum up support. In Hong Kong's purposefully leaderless pro-democracy movement, however, he is just another protester.
FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2019, file photo, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong addresses the media during a press conference in Berlin, Germany. Overseas, Joshua Wong has emerged as a prominent face of Hong Kong's months-long protests for full democracy. At home, he is just another protester.
“Not that nobody cares about what he says, but it’s just that Joshua Wong alone cannot represent the whole of Hong Kong,” said Sean Au, a 17-year-old student. “He is just a participant, no longer a leader.” It was the 2014 Umbrella Revolution that propelled Wong into the global spotlight. Protesters occupied major thoroughfares in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory for 79 days in an ultimately unsuccessful push for direct elections for the city’s leaders.
While Wong has inspired many, neither he nor other well-known individuals or groups have a central role in this summer’s mass movement, said Bonnie Leung of the Civil Human Rights Front, which has organized several massive marches this summer. They hope to rally support for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, a bill proposing economic sanctions and penalties on Chinese and Hong Kong officials found to have suppressed democracy in the city.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Activist Joshua Wong brings Hong Kong fight to U.S.Wong, who leads a pro-democracy organization, said he’ll push for passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which has bipartisan support.
Read more »
Stand up to Beijing, Hong Kong singer tells U.S. lawmakers, companiesHong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho wants U.S. lawmakers and companies to cr...
Read more »
Opinion | Why London Spurned Hong KongFrom WSJopinion: Rule of law underpins Hong Kong’s status as a global financial capital, so this political crisis is now becoming an economic one
Read more »
Hong Kong legislator urges U.N. rights body to probe 'police abuse'A pro-democracy Hong Kong legislator called on the top U.N. human rights body on...
Read more »
A counter-revolutionary love story from Hong KongYonfan dedicated the film to Hong Kong, calling it a “love letter” to the territory. But his may not be the sort of affection that today’s protesters appreciate
Read more »