The Hong Kong Protest Movement. China and the Left-Series, No. 2/4

The protest movement against China’s increasing influence and control in Hong Kong since mid-2019 has been supported by a large part of the local population and challenged the city’s authorities as well as the Communist Party government in Beijing. The movement demanded an end to police violence and more democratic participation, but it has not addressed much social inequalities, capitalist exploitation, poverty, or high rents in the city. Still, new forms of grassroots organizing played a role not just in the protest but in everyday issues like, for instance, during the COVID-19-pandemic, and even led to a new unionization drive at workplaces. Recently, the National Security Law imposed by the Communist Party government has been a turning point for the movement. These and other aspects of protests and organizing such as cross-border solidarity and gender discrimination will be discussed during the online discussion.

Presentations by activists from Hong Kong

Moderation: Ralf Ruckus (gongchao.org)

This is the second event of the online discussion series "China and the Left. Critical Analysis & Grassroots Activism" which is organized by people from different left-wing initiatives, including gongchao.org (https://www.gongchao.org), Made in China Journal (https://madeinchinajournal.com), and the group behind the protests against the EU-China-Summit in Leipzig, Germany (https://noeucn.org).

The series brings together activists and researchers with a left-wing perspective in order to shed more light on China’s changed role in the world as well as on the social conflicts and mobilizations in the country. It tries to instigate more direct exchanges and solidarity at the grassroots level between overseas initiatives and social struggles and activists in China. In doing so, it also aims to undermine the rising tide of anti-Chinese racism in countries of the Global North that governments and right-wing players stir up to promote their own economic and political nationalism.

The online discussions take place on the video platform Zoom. On the day of the event, those who have booked a free ticket here will get an email with the link they need to log in and participate.

You can register for the other events of the series here as well:

Registration for no. 1/4: Clash of Capitalisms? EU-China Relations at a Crossroads

Registration for no. 3/4: Feminism and Queer Activism in China

Registration for no. 4/4: Recent Labor Unrest and Organizing in China