Contexts by Yao-Tai Li and John Chung-En Liu | April 4, 2021 | Winter 2021
A Lennon Wall in a metro station. (Photo by Yao-Tai Li) In June 2019, millions poured onto the streets of Hong Kong to protest the proposed Extradition Bill. Citizens and organizations argued that the purpose of the law is to provide a legal way for the Chinese government to extradite dissidents to mainland China for trial. According to Purbrick, police used increasing levels of force (tear gas, water cannon) to quell the protestors. The perceived police brutality, however, further added fuel to the movement. In her 2020 work, Jackson states that these protests reignited tensions over Hong Kong’s political and cultural identity. According to Chan, Pun, and Lee et al., the movement is regarded as a pro-democracy movement by scholars. The Chinese government and media, however, often portray the movement as being anti-China and pro-Hong Kong independence.