Hong Kong Police Overwhelm Protesters Now Crying ‘Independence’
- Smaller crowds turn out in the wake of pandemic to fight China
- China’s imposition of security laws spurs more radical views
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In the first major test of Hong Kong’s protest movement in 2020, it became clear that demonstrators face a more formidable challenge in reigniting the street power that humbled China last year -- and that Beijing’s moves could inspire a shift toward more radical views.
On Wednesday, protesters enraged by Beijing’s move to impose sweeping new security laws on Hong Kong planned to gather at the city’s Legislative Council, which was debating a separate law that would criminalize insulting China’s national anthem. Yet they ended up getting nowhere close, and the hearing proceeded as normal -- a far cry from about a year ago, when a mass of people managed to thwart a bill that would allow extraditions to China.