“Two million people came out for a protest on June 16th. It was...

“Two million people came out for a protest on June 16th.  It was hot.  It was sweaty.  I didn’t feel like going.  But I went to represent myself and what I believe.  Even if change seemed unlikely, I wanted to represent my values.  There was a lot of shouting on that day.  There were a lot of swear words.  But there was no hate.  It was all about what we wanted to happen: democracy, human rights, free speech.  But something changed as the weeks went on.  People got more desperate.  The government started pulling our permits.  Protests were made illegal.  Police began to use violence.  In the beginning we’d just run away, but at some point people began to hit back.  It became an eye for an eye: using hate speech, setting fires, breaking the windows of ‘pro-China’ businesses.  And that’s when I stopped participating.  It stopped representing my values.  If we’re fighting for free speech, then it has to include everyone.  Even people who are supportive of China.  Because if we threaten and intimidate anyone who disagrees with us, then we become what we’re fighting against.”
(Hong Kong)