Nonfiction Reading Response MaxF 811

              The battle for democracy still wages. This time however, it centers in Hong Kong, where China is taking away its right to free speech and press. The battle first started with only a couple hundred people. They blocked off a government building, and the police responded by arresting and assaulting several with pepper spray. They are trying to end the protests, and so far have been unsuccessful. The protestors have also tried to bring the U.S. in, which frustrated Obama. The students still are keeping up with their classes, but the "war" will be long. This issue of democratic freedom has a long and bloody road, and has no end in sight.
             The "Umbrella Revolution" is gaining momentum as more and more people join. The protestors have used umbrellas to guard against pepper spray, which is where the name came from.  China's oppressive government is what has sparked this revolution in-the-making. China still isn't backing down, since it is in a bad position. If they concede, the government will have to deal with more protests, and if they don't, there will be a lot of bloodshed that follows. The full cause on why this started, is because the residents of Hong Kong "see that China's rejection of full democracy is an insult to Hong Kong's special status". They keep a "tight lid on dissent" and deny the freedoms that we have today. They also control politics by jailing opponents, and they control what their citizens see on the internet with what some call "The Great Firewall of China". This is history repeating itself, over and over, just like the protest in Beijing in 1989. Except, this time they can't massacre the protestors, it would be very bad for China's reputation, and hard on the country. Tibet is also stirring, the early signs of protests to come. And even after all this, they still aren't letting up on the Hong Kong protesters. The Chinese are acting on the promise allowing them to elect a leader, but in 2017. And rather than open nominations, it'll be screened by biased judges, loyal to China and their assimilation of Hong Kong. The students are making provisions such as cell phone apps, as well as food and water, and don't leave messes behind on the protesting sights. The war for free speech has no solid negotiations so far, and probably won't for a while.
              The battle has been fought for free speech many times. First in Europe, than the U.S., and now Hong Kong has joined the list. The Chinese have weaseled their way into another revolutionary protest and the military can't solve it. The right to choose our leader is one that is valued highly among all. Corruption is common is the world, and democracies are a step closer to a non-corrupt political world. Hong Kong is making an important event, as defying China even with the pressure against it, and is sure to go down in history.