The Guardian view on the Hong Kong protests: time for a global response
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Version 0 of 1. Hopes that a compromise might be possible between protesters in Hong Kong and the Chinese communist authorities appear as uncertain as ever, after chief executive CY Leung rejected demands that he resign on Thursday. While Mr Leung offered talks between his government and the demonstrators, the impression was that the authorities were playing for time. Local security forces seemed to be readying for a confrontation, while protesters debated what their next steps might be. Never, since the beginning of the upheaval, have international calls for restraint and dialogue on part of the Chinese authorities been so necessary. The demonstrators have been on the streets in tens of thousands asking for respect for what they perceive as their basic democratic rights. They are demanding a free, open election process – a request that echoes calls in other parts of the world where emerging middle classes want more of a say in how countries are governed. What happens in Hong Kong will resonate far and wide. The demonstrators are asking for a genuine vote for the political leadership in 2017. They’ve decided to harden their position by giving the chief executive an ultimatum to resign. The authorities are stonewalling and building up the police forces. The stage is set for a heightening of tension. To many people elsewhere in the world these may appear to be events in a small and distant place. But what happens in Kong Kong is bound to have great global resonance, given that our future will depend in large part on China’s behaviour, and its emergence and positioning in the international arena. The non-violent nature of this protest movement must be welcomed. Despite an earlier attempt by the police to disperse the crowds, street mobilisation has remained resolutely peaceful. This is in line with other recent civil resistance movements. In Brazil and Turkey, the new urban middle classes used a combination of street protest and social media to put forward their demands. These grassroots movements provide an indication of how aspirations for fundamental rights can be expressed in today’s world, with the help of the internet. They underline that democratic values have no cultural borders and that non-violence can – sometimes – achieve much in the face of authoritarian responses. No one can discount the possibility of a violent outcome in Hong Kong. This is why more voices must speak out, in Europe and especially in emerging democratic countries such as Brazil, South Africa, to signal to Beijing that there will be a cost if the worst happens and bloodshed breaks out. China has been in a hurry to paint the Hong Kong protests as a US-led external conspiracy. Laughable that may be, but such propaganda becomes more difficult if non-western voices, in Africa and other parts of the world where China wishes to retain some influence, join in the debate. |