What shape will global protests take in the 2020s?
A Buddhist monk releases birds, symbolizing the spirits of the victims of the 2004 tsunami. This Chinese tradition of analogy was taken up by the demonstrators in Hong Kong.
Samantha Sin/AFP
Hong Kong protesters deeply identify with nature, a reference to the current environmental crisis but also a fluid conception of collective action that is inscribed in ancient Chinese tradition.
While tariffs have a direct impact on exporters in the US and China, third-party countries like New Zealand are more affected by non-tariff barriers.
EPA/Aleksandar Plavevski
Hongzhi Gao, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington y Ivy Guo, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
So far, New Zealand exporters have not been affected by the trade war between the US and China, but the Hong Kong crisis could easily embroil any foreign company.
Hong Kong protesters shelter behind a thin barrier – and umbrellas – as police fire tear gas and encircle a group of demonstrators.
AP Photo/Vincent Yu
Revolutions are built not on deep misery but on rising expectations. History may not provide much hope of immediate change in Hong Kong – but protesters may have a longer view.
Preparing for a clash with police at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Jerome Favre/EPA
After months of respecting the boundaries of university campuses, the Hong Kong police moved in to make arrests. Now, protesters are defending what had once been sanctified spaces.
Police fire tear gas to deter protesters in Hong Kong.
Jerome Favre/EPA
When police sprayed Kowloon Mosque with blue dye during protests, the people of Hong Kong rallied again to help clean it up.
Demonstrators hold up photos of LeBron James grimacing during a rally in Hong Kong in October 2019. Protesters threw basketballs at a photo of James.
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Protest, or the lack of it, can reveal one’s priorities and values. In failing to stand up to China, LeBron James and the NBA told us something about theirs.
Hong Kong’s protesters: looking for external help.
Jerome Favre/EPA
A bill making its way through the US Congress seeks to tighten scrutiny of Hong Kong’s autonomy. But it will do little to resolve the situation.
Chinese broadcasters have suspended showing NBA games in response to a tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in support of the Hong Kong protests.
John G. Mablango/EPA
The National Basketball Association’s difficulty dealing with a tweet in support of Hong Kong protesters shows the challenges of having values and expanding into new markets.
Chinese students come to Australia to study for the same reasons as other international students.
from shutterstock.com
The majority of students from China come to Australia to learn English and be exposed to a different culture. This helps them get a competitive edge over graduates in their home country.
Martin Lee Chu-ming, affectionately known as the “grandfather of Hong Kong democracy”.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
If the protesters can channel their energy in a more lasting, organised way, they may be able to achieve even more than the “five demands”. Could the French Revolution be a source of inspiration?
A Hong Kong student holding a sign detailing the protesters’ demands from the government.
Fazry Ismail/EPA
The most likely explanation for the unrest lies not in Beijing’s influence over the city, but rather the nature of Hong Kong government and society itself.
Protesters throw rocks on September 15.
Jerome Favre/EPA