I'm happy to say that the protests have become more popular and widespread. There are now a lot posters and signage around campus spreading awareness. Today around 11AM, a bunch (like a WHOLE LOT) of students assembled in AAB to hear the Student Union talk about the plans for the protest. Pretty much everyone was wearing black and I stuck out like a sore thumb because I hadn't yet gotten the memo. The protest color has now changed to black. (It was white before.) I was wearing teal though so...a bit irrelevant.
One of the posters has actually persuaded me to skip my lectures tomorrow. It's sort of embarrassing that of all the posters this is the one that got me....but anyways, its the one that they have plastered all over the side of the North Tower with emoji stickers of backpacks and schoolbooks on it. It's written in Chinese and I can't read but I found a translation. It pretty much shames students that are still attending class by saying "There is a protest going on out there. Why are you still going to class?" Not the best poster to motivate people but it worked on me.
I went to Admiralty today and there were a lot of people there. I was really on edge though because of the pepper spray and tear gas incidents. Especially when people start chanting, I cry a little on the inside. You never know when the police are going to start pepper spraying or throwing tear gas canisters and I did not feel prepared. The past few days have not been the safest for protesters and the police has given many warnings before so it was kind of scary.
I know it's kind of bad to say but in a way, the violence and methods that the police displayed was kind of helpful to the protests. Hear me out. Occupy Central had already had prior protests which although they made it to the news in foreign countries, they did not get a lot of international support. The week long student protests became a bigger issue than normal as the week passed by but I still don't think it was so widespread. However, with the actions of the policemen, the protesters have formed an even stronger sense of community against the government, giving them a more tangible(?) or even just simply another common enemy. There's more outrage now that's fueling even more support and determination. It also allowed them to get more international attention with dramatic images being spread and as we all know, the media loves drama. I'm quite proud of how the HK people have acted though. Despite everything, they've remained calm and non-violent; not something all countries can claim to be during their protests -coughcough-.
Again, I know it's bad to say but not everything in this world can be rainbows and butterflies -- maybe a few people did have to be injured to get the kind of press that they are getting. Alternatively, they can get a little more creative in their protests to keep everyone tuning in. It's all about marketing now isn't it? As I write, there are reports that the protests are calm and "fun" without the police. One post compared it to a party and another showed protesters in Mong Kok playing soccer. That's quite an interesting and unique atmosphere to create during a large-scale protest. Update from the past 20 mins though: it seems as if the police are coming back again and they're not looking very welcoming.
One of the posters has actually persuaded me to skip my lectures tomorrow. It's sort of embarrassing that of all the posters this is the one that got me....but anyways, its the one that they have plastered all over the side of the North Tower with emoji stickers of backpacks and schoolbooks on it. It's written in Chinese and I can't read but I found a translation. It pretty much shames students that are still attending class by saying "There is a protest going on out there. Why are you still going to class?" Not the best poster to motivate people but it worked on me.
I went to Admiralty today and there were a lot of people there. I was really on edge though because of the pepper spray and tear gas incidents. Especially when people start chanting, I cry a little on the inside. You never know when the police are going to start pepper spraying or throwing tear gas canisters and I did not feel prepared. The past few days have not been the safest for protesters and the police has given many warnings before so it was kind of scary.
I know it's kind of bad to say but in a way, the violence and methods that the police displayed was kind of helpful to the protests. Hear me out. Occupy Central had already had prior protests which although they made it to the news in foreign countries, they did not get a lot of international support. The week long student protests became a bigger issue than normal as the week passed by but I still don't think it was so widespread. However, with the actions of the policemen, the protesters have formed an even stronger sense of community against the government, giving them a more tangible(?) or even just simply another common enemy. There's more outrage now that's fueling even more support and determination. It also allowed them to get more international attention with dramatic images being spread and as we all know, the media loves drama. I'm quite proud of how the HK people have acted though. Despite everything, they've remained calm and non-violent; not something all countries can claim to be during their protests -coughcough-.
Again, I know it's bad to say but not everything in this world can be rainbows and butterflies -- maybe a few people did have to be injured to get the kind of press that they are getting. Alternatively, they can get a little more creative in their protests to keep everyone tuning in. It's all about marketing now isn't it? As I write, there are reports that the protests are calm and "fun" without the police. One post compared it to a party and another showed protesters in Mong Kok playing soccer. That's quite an interesting and unique atmosphere to create during a large-scale protest. Update from the past 20 mins though: it seems as if the police are coming back again and they're not looking very welcoming.