Seeing Beyond the Tear Gas.
“Five demands! Not one less! Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!”
These defiant words of protest were not shouted by a young, black-clad protester wielding a Molotov cocktail, but by a middle-aged office worker, sporting a finely-tailored suit, wielding a bubble tea.
Since June 2019, life in Hong Kong has been marked by protests as residents fight for democracy, government accountability, and human rights. There have been 1000 demonstrations involving an estimated 14 million people. The police have arrested close to 8,000 people (from kids to adults to seniors), with only 29 convictions and 15 prison sentences to date.
This movement has received global attention, with local journalists joined by hundreds of foreign correspondents, many sporting gas masks to protect from the more than 16,000 rounds of tear gas fired throughout the city.
The predominant story told is one of violence, anger, civil disobedience, police brutality, and a government that has largely ignored the will of the people.
“Seeing Beyond the Tear Gas” aims to move beyond the headlines and the frontlines to share the story of the countless people supporting the movement: aunties dropping food coupons into donation boxes, office workers writing holiday cards to those in detention, and citizens offering first aid and moral support to one another during these difficult times.
There are stories of kindness, not anger. Humanity, not violence. Community, not conflict. There are stories of people who have finally found their identity and are fighting to preserve it.
Read MoreThese defiant words of protest were not shouted by a young, black-clad protester wielding a Molotov cocktail, but by a middle-aged office worker, sporting a finely-tailored suit, wielding a bubble tea.
Since June 2019, life in Hong Kong has been marked by protests as residents fight for democracy, government accountability, and human rights. There have been 1000 demonstrations involving an estimated 14 million people. The police have arrested close to 8,000 people (from kids to adults to seniors), with only 29 convictions and 15 prison sentences to date.
This movement has received global attention, with local journalists joined by hundreds of foreign correspondents, many sporting gas masks to protect from the more than 16,000 rounds of tear gas fired throughout the city.
The predominant story told is one of violence, anger, civil disobedience, police brutality, and a government that has largely ignored the will of the people.
“Seeing Beyond the Tear Gas” aims to move beyond the headlines and the frontlines to share the story of the countless people supporting the movement: aunties dropping food coupons into donation boxes, office workers writing holiday cards to those in detention, and citizens offering first aid and moral support to one another during these difficult times.
There are stories of kindness, not anger. Humanity, not violence. Community, not conflict. There are stories of people who have finally found their identity and are fighting to preserve it.
