This Sunday, folks in D.C. are gathering to show their support for Hongkongers who have been in the midst of mass protests against the government since June.
The Facebook event, titled “DC ‘Stand with HK, Power to the People’ Rally,” shows about 200 people attending or interested as of Thursday afternoon.
The rally in D.C. is part of a widespread series of protests happening this weekend to support a rally happening in Hong Kong on August 16. The full list of supporting protests around the world include almost 30 cities, from Berlin to Taipei.
The event page encourages people to wear black clothing, to bring materials that can explain the situation in Hong Kong to passersby, and states that there will be speakers and flyers present at the rally.
In case you need a primer on what exactly is going on in the semiautonomous territory, here’s a quick explainer from the New York Times: After the local government introduced a controversial extradition bill that would have allowed Hongkongers accused of crimes to be extradited to mainland China, hundreds of thousands of people joined a mass protest on the streets of Hong Kong on June 9. Since then, police violence has escalated towards the protesters, as well as anger and mistrust against the police, who have been accused of allowing a group of armed men to attack anti-government protesters at a train station.
Kaze Wong, the organizer of the rally, tells DCist via email that they’re hoping to raise awareness of the protests in Hong Kong and show their support.
“Hong Kong has been a long trustworthy trading partner of the U.S., but now it is on the edge of collapsing … this is not just our problem, but it is also an issue which will affect the U.S. in many ways,” Wong says. “In short, we urge the U.S. government to expedite the discussion of the … Hong Kong Human Right[s] and Democracy Act.”
Reintroduced by Democratic Representative Jim McGovern, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, and Republican Representative Chris Smith in June, this act would require the president to issue an annual certification of Hong Kong’s autonomy and provide protections for those involved in the protests—it makes clear that visa applicants can’t be denied based on an arrest or detention as a result of nonviolent protest activities in Hong Kong, among other provisions, per a press release from the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
While he expects counter-protesters to show up, Wong states that they are keeping “a high degree of civility … as our guideline for the rally.” At this time, he writes that they are still finalizing the list of speakers, and will update the event once it is set.
Wong, who calls Hong Kong home, also has personal reasons for organizing the D.C. rally. “Hongkongers overseas often feel useless since they could not be there and help,” he writes. “I am trying to help as much as possible, and also give a platform for people, not just from Hong Kong to show their support.”
