[video Description: A Sped Up 30 Second Clip Of The 9th June 2019 Protest In Hong Kong Depicting Thousands

[video description: a sped up 30 second clip of the 9th June 2019 protest in Hong Kong depicting thousands of protesters marching, eventually breaking past the police barrier and flooding out onto the roads]

1 MILLION IN HONG KONG PROTEST AGAINST THE CHINESE EXTRADITION PLAN

The protesters marched towards the legislature against the proposed the Chinese extraction plan, which would enable the chief executive and local courts to handle extradition requests without legislative oversight or prior agreements. There will be a final vote before the current legislative period ends in July. The government has said the law will allow it to close a legal “loophole.” But lawyers, journalists, foreign politicians and businesses have raised concerns over the risk of residents being extradited to the mainland.

source:

Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

Over a million attend Hong Kong demo against controversial extradition law, organisers say | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

Over a million people have joined a mass protest against the Hong Kong government’s controversial extradition bill, according to organisers.

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT

Short version: This plan allows the Chinese government to arrest Hong Kong citizens without going through any prior agreements, and is a huge threat to citizens’ freedom and personal safety

China is notorious for it’s censorship, silencing any dissenters to their authority (e.g. the house arrest of several activists, including Liao Yiwu, and the Causeway Bay Books kidnapping in 2015)

Since Hong Kong is a special legislative area, the city has a relatively higher freedom of speech compared to the rest of the country, and more recently, there have been demands for a higher level of democracy in Hong Kong - which, needless to say, is against the wishes of the Chinese government. With it’s track record, it’s not a stretch to think that once this plan is in place, any Hong Kong protesters who speak up against the Chinese government would be quietly detained and put under arrest in the Mainland.

This plan not only compromises Hong Kong’s autonomy, but is also an attempt from the Mainland to assimilate Hong Kong with the rest of the country, which is goes against the Hong Kong Basic Law, the “One Country, Two Systems” constitutional principle agreed on to keep Hong Kong a democracy, even violating human rights such as the Freedom of Speech, Expression, The Right to Public Assembly, etc.

This is just the SparkNotes version of the full state of events, but I didn’t want this this post to get any longer ^^; I’ll link some resources in the reblogs later

[image description: a photo of the aforementioned protest at night, with thousands of people marching on the roads of Admiralty district in Hong Kong]

[video Description: A Sped Up 30 Second Clip Of The 9th June 2019 Protest In Hong Kong Depicting Thousands

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The protest is mostly over, but you can still help by signing this online petition calling for the White House to review the plan:

petitions.whitehouse.gov

Extradition Law Amendment in Hong Kong - Threat to Personal Safety and Freedom | We the People: Your Voice in Our Government

I know this isn’t an optimal solution, and I’ll reblog with others when they arise, but for now, please sign this petition. Though Hong Kong isn’t a country - it’s a special legislative area - it’s still home to 7 million people. I almost never hear anyone talk about democracy issues about somewhere that isn’t the USA on this hellsite, so dammit, I’m making this post myself, because we deserve to be heard.

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION, REBLOG AND SHARE TO HELP US MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD, THANK YOU