Thousands of protesters move forward to sustain protests in Hong Kong this week. It seems that the college student led groups have chosen to hold protests strategically in three main spots of the city demanding a fully democratic election in 2017 rather than having their pick of Beijing chosen candidates.
Deemed “The Umbrella Revolution” by many due to the use of umbrellas by protesters to shield themselves from the pepper spray and tear gas used by police forces has quickly gained the attention of people throughout the world.
The White House has claimed that US officials have and will continue to hope that Hong Kong officials will show restraint and protesters will demonstrate peacefully. US officials also hope to see universal suffrage for Hong Kong citizens and eventually mainland China.
A protester (C) raises his umbrellas in front of tear gas which was fired by riot police to disperse protesters blocking the main street to the financial Central district outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong, September 28, 2014.
The Umbrella Revolution is only one of a myriad of examples this year of societies calling for transparency and democracy within their governments. The Sept. 18th vote in Scotland over independence from the United Kingdom saw a record 84.5% of the eligible Scottish electorate cast a ballot on the referendum.
follow the protests on twitter #umbrellarevolution
follow the protests on twitter #umbrellarevolution
The protesters in Hong Kong have posed themselves to move the West into remembrance of it’s democratic roots and why personal liberty and prerogative have been main stays in the concerns of Americans and many citizens of the world.
Due to mainland China’s blocks on social media much of the hype over the protests are coming from western onlookers. Sites like Twitter and Instagram have covered the protests since their beginning over a week ago. Following the hashtag #UmbrellaRevolution on Twitter brings many opinions and voices of support for the Hong Kong public.
The ending result of these demonstrations are still unknown but what is known is that public opinion and transparency is bringing about changes to government and policy that many thought impossible only a few years ago.
