The teenage face of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement announced yesterday that he will head a new political party to be set up to contest legislative elections in September.
Joshua Wong, 19, was at the forefront of the Umbrella Movement, mass rallies which brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill in 2014 as residents called for fully free elections for future leaders.
The 79-day protest which blocked several major roads failed to win any concessions from the Hong Kong or Chinese governments.
Wong’s announcement came at a time when more radical young activists are gaining a foothold in mainstream politics, with one student leader who calls for independence from China taking tens of thousands of votes in a recent poll.
“It’s time for us to change our position,” Wong told a press conference at which he announced he was disbanding the student activist group Scholarism, of which he is convenor, to form the new party.
He said the new party would aim to nurture politicians who could push for “self-determination” among residents over the city’s future.
Wong cannot himself stand for election until he is 21.
There are fears that Beijing’s influence is increasing before the expiration of “one country, two systems” in 2047, and Hong Kong’s freedoms are being eroded.
Some “localist” activists are calling for greater autonomy from Beijing or even independence – an unthinkable option for Beijing.
Words: AFP
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