A student protest thousands of miles away may seem unconnected to life in Nashville, but for some members of the Lipscomb community, the protest could mean life or death for their beloved city of Hong Kong.
Lipscomb graduate Caesar Tang is in the middle of what is being called the Umbrella Riots in Hong Kong. The protest got its name from the umbrellas protesters are using to protect themselves from pepper spray used by the police.
“I do not believe it should be called a riot,” said Tang. “A riot would imply violence. The protesters are not retaliating in any way at all. The protest is an expression of desire from the Hong Kong people to have a government that represents them and hears their voices.”
The protests began in September 2014 when China’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress announced that they would not allow civil nominations and would instead use a committee to choose candidates for elections in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Federation of Students began the protest outside of Hong Kong’s government headquarters.
Hong Kong was a colony of the British Empire until 1997, at which point it was handed over to the People’s Republic of China. Hong Kong has kept its political independence from China, making the announcement of proposed electoral reform a blow to Hong Kong citizens.
Lipscomb student Hannah Passamonte also has ties to the revolution. Passamonte grew up in Hong Kong and her parents still teach in the city.
“I am still in awe at what is happening in Hong Kong right now,” said Passamonte. “I’m praying for the safety and strength of the people in my favorite city.”
Tang urged fellow students to be aware of what is going on in Hong Kong and in the world.
“In this day and age, with globalization, the world is more connected than ever before,” said Tang. “Hong Kong is a major economic city in the world. If turmoil happens in Hong Kong it is going to affect the economy in some way. We should care about the world. In a couple of years we are going to be leaders of the world and it will be better to have knowledge of the other side of the world than only knowing what happens in Tennessee.”
Although the Chinese government commanded the protests to end on October 6, the Umbrella Revolution is still going on.
On November 10, a Civil Human Rights Front march took place. The recent activity has been made in hopes that the Federation of Students will be able to have talks in Beijing with the Chinese government.
The government has warned through the media that there will be deaths, injuries and other grave accidents should the protesting continue.