STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Hong Kong Students Draw Inspiration From Ferguson Protests

Pro-democracy demonstrators facing violent police attacks are using the same "hands up, don't shoot" gesture used by Ferguson protestors.

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators are flooding the streets of Hong Kong in solidarity after police responded to a peaceful student sit-in with excessive force this past weekend, New York Magazine reports.

Recent images circulated online show Hong Kong students being tear gassed and elderly demonstrators being pepper sprayed in the face.

Many worldwide have been drawing comparisons between the police attacks on protesters in Hong Kong and those in Ferguson, Missouri, noting the Hong Kong protesters’ use of the same “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture made symbolic by the slain teen Michael Brown.

Organized in part by Occupy Central and the Hong Kong Federation of Students, the protests were held to demand the resignation of current chief executive Leung Chung-ying, as well as continued autonomy for Hong Kong and democratic elections in 2017, as previously promised.

Students make up a majority of the protesters, but reports say that the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union and other professionals have joined the young people with respective strikes.

BET Global News - Your source for Black news from around the world, including international politics, health and human rights, the latest celebrity news and more. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

(Photo: Alex Ogle/AFP/Getty Images)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.