In Hong Kong, tens of thousands in ‘anti authoritarian’ protest – China’s latest political and current affairs news

Reuters reports that tens of thousands took to the streets in Hong Kong on October 1, China’s National Day, in an “anti authoritarian rule” march, and called for the resignation of the city’s Secretary of Justice, Rimsky Yuen. Yuen, the city’s top legal official, was reportedly the motivating force in the controversial decision to jail democracy advocates in the city, including Joshua Wong 黃之鋒, Alex Chow 周永康, and Nathan Law 罗冠聪, for half a year or more for unlawful assembly during the 2014 Umbrella Movement.

Reuters notes that the World Economic Forum appears to agree with protestors that Hong Kong’s judicial independence has receded, as the Forum’s “Global Competitiveness Index last week downgraded Hong Kong’s judicial independence ranking by five spots to number 13 in the world.” Hong Kong officials disagree, of course, with Yuen himself urging, “we cannot rely on subjective perceptions, we have to look at the facts.”

More about protests in Hong Kong:

• Kong Tsung-gan writes in the Hong Kong Free Press on the history of pro-democracy activism in the city since the 2014 Umbrella Movement, pointing out divisions between those advocating independence vs. those advocating self-determination, and the important new force of “localism” in the city’s politics.
• See pictures of and read quotes from the October 1 protests, also in HKFP.
• Read Joshua Wong’s first letter from jail in the Guardian.
• Read in Al Jazeera about “Why Hong Kong has a culture of protest.”
• Take a look at some data which indicates that Hong Kong has the most protests of any city in the world.

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• U.S.-China relations
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