[Joshua Wong Vows to Stay in Hong Kong and Continue ‘the Fight on the Street’]
1/ Joshua Wong vowed on Friday that he will not leave the city as others have done but will stay and “continue the fight on the street.”
1/ Joshua Wong vowed on Friday that he will not leave the city as others have done but will stay and “continue the fight on the street.”
2/ “I still have a role to play here,” he told EFE in a telephone interview, stressing the importance of getting the most votes in September elections in the city. Wong intends to stand as a candidate in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
3/ Beijing banned him from running in district elections which took place in November on the grounds that his past defence of the city’s right to self-determination went against Hong Kong’s Basic Law, its de-facto constitution.
4/ Now that the national security law has come into effect, it is even more unlikely Wong will be allowed to run, but he hopes the results of the primaries will “quantify popular opposition” to the controversial new legislation.
5/ He says the more people who vote in the primary elections, the higher chance that “our rights would be granted and more cost for Beijing to put me again in jail.” Joshua jas been arrested eight times, spent three months in prison last year.
6/ Also, he has also been accused of organizing an illegal protest at Hong Kong Police Station on June 21, for which he could stand trial soon. He has been banned from leaving Hong Kong and has to report to a police station twice a week.
7/ On the day he was released from prison last year, he made an appearance outside the headquarters of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, where he was cheered on by thousands of people who had gathered in protest against a proposed extradition bill.
8/ The student activist, who became known as the main promoter of the Umbrella Revolution protests in 2014 when he was 18 years old, says the most important issue is to stop mass arrests and extradition to mainland China.
9/ He says he understands the decision of fellow activist @nathanlawkc, who has fled the city to a secret location. “I understand his decision, it’s not easy at all, he leaves to fight for Hong Kong, we need an international voice,” Wong adds.
10/ The day before announcing his departure, Law testified by video link before a United States congressional committee and criticized the new national security law. He is aware that his words can be used against him to accuse him of a series of crimes under the new law.
11/ That's why he tempers his statements and is cautious about speaking on sensitive political issues. “We need to continue the fight on the street, the battle" When asked if the protests will have less public support because of the risks under the new law, he replies cleary:
12/ Hundreds thousands of people have taken to the streets in protest against it. “It’s to blame Beijing if one million people could not go now to the streets. If they don’t let people demonstrate peacefully, they would show they true face. We call on the world to stand for HK"
13/ There are fears Beijing could accuse him of colluding with foreign forces to jeopardize national security, one of four crimes under the new security law, which introduced penalties ranging from three years to life imprisonment.
14/ Wong has been at risk of arrest since the new legislation came into effect on Tuesday and he could have tried to leave the city. Instead, he posted images of himself on social media on Thurs distributing leaflets for his primary candidacy in the residential area of Lam Tin.
