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.@Yale’s Prof. Helen Siu just back from HK: “How has the protest sustained itself for over 100 days in a busy & business-like city?” “Life goes on but there has been a fundamental change in social alliances, political awareness & values.” Many sectors involved: students . . . 
mid/prof classes, moms, elders, civil servants. “There has been 2 decades of erosion in rule of law, free markets, personal freedoms, core features of the 1 country 2 systems”, “Hong Kong’s professional & middle classes have deeply feared this” . . .
they want to “restore institutional integrity" they have been promised. “In Hong Kong, we always thought of police as being a public service, but now in the public mind it is an instrument of repression”, people are saying to police . . .
“you are being used; the government is trying to use police force to solve a political problem.” Prof Siu observing a protest: “A dozen of us were standing at the far end of events watching events unfold almost a mile away; . . .
suddenly we were charged from behind by a squadron of riot police. The youngsters yelled out to us, ‘grannies, run!’ ‘I am harmless’, I insisted. I eventually left as the police looked menacing.”
“For 1st time HKers have overcome fear of being accused of inviting foreign meddling”, making all efforts to reach out, want the world to hear their voice and register their anger. Strategy and emotional tone very different from the Umbrella Movement.
There is talk of SOEs wanting to make asset grabs of HK biz. But what is cost of destroying HK as a globally recognized biz/finance hub? “HK is still a golden egg”, so much investment still flows through HK, incl for BRI. “This is a moment to test the wisdom of China’s leaders.”
