Pro-Democracy Protest Leaders Arrested in Hong Kong Amid Fears of Crackdown

by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Hong Kong authorities arrested two young leaders of the pro-democracy protests sweeping the former British colony Friday.

Joshua Wong, a former participant in the 2014 pro-democracy umbrella movement, was dragged into a minivan while walking along the street to a nearby train station, while Agnes Chow was taken at home, and both charged with “inciting others to take part in unlawful assembly” for their involvement in barricading the Wan Chai police station on June 21st.

“All we ask for is just to urge Beijing and the Hong Kong government withdraw the bill, stop police brutality and respond to our calls for free elections,” said Wong after police released him on bail, referring to recently proposed legislation that allows China to extradite people charged in Hong Kong to the mainland for trial in communist courts.

World leaders of the G7 summit issued a joint resolution Tuesday asking China to abide by the Sino-British joint declaration of 1984, which cemented the “one party, two systems” doctrine that has governed Hong Kong’s relationship to mainland China since, and which protestors say is under threat from the new bill.

China has threatened a “severe” response to the movement that has seen demonstrations of up to 2 million people for 13 consecutive weekends, with the government-controlled China Daily newspaper menacing Friday that People’s Liberation Army troops stationed nearby will have “no reason to sit on their hands” if protests continue.

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