Hong Kong Students Lead Democracy Fight With Class Boycott

Thousands of students in Hong Kong have
protested against Chinese government plans to
vet candidates for the next leadership election.
Student groups, who braved the sweltering heat,
said the authorities in Beijing are backing out of a
commitment to greater democracy, given when
Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997.
The class boycott coincides with a trip to Beijing
by some of Hong Kong's most powerful tycoons,
who are are expected to discuss Hong Kong
politics with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Wearing yellow ribbons, students from more than
20 universities and colleges packed into the
grounds of the Chinese University of Hong Kong,
where they were greeted by banners that said:
"The boycott must happen. Disobey and grasp
your destiny."
Some of the student leaders wore black T-shirts
with the words "democracy now".
The former British colony returned to Chinese rule
with a high degree of autonomy.
But last month, Beijing rejected demands for
people to freely choose the city's next leader,
prompting threats from activists to shut down the
central finance district as part of their pro-
democracy campaign.
"We demand the government responds to our call
to endorse civil nominations," said Alex Chow,
leader of the Hong Kong Federation of Students,
one of the organisers of the classroom boycott.
President of the Hong Kong University Students'
Union, Yvonne Leung, said the protest was the
start of a wider campaign.
"Perhaps in the near future students or other
NGOs will initiate another huge wave of civil
disobedience to call for genuine democracy," she
said.
"So we are evaluating the actions in a series
instead of only the strike alone. But the strike is
acting as a transitional point."
The students converged on a long boulevard at
the university, with some carrying umbrellas to
protect them from the baking sun, and many
chanting "united we stand" and "democracy now".
Some academics in Hong Kong have voiced
support for the strike, with some offering to record
lectures and post them online for students who
miss school to watch later.