On Sunday, December 8th, as many as 800,000 protestors organized by the Civil Human Rights Front flooded the streets of Hong Kong, marking the 8th month of pro-democracy civil disobedience. Many marchers carried signs reading “five demands, not one less,” referring to the protestor’s list of demands, which include:
- Investigation of police brutality;
- Release of arrested protestors;
- The resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and;
- Popular election of the Hong Kong Legislative Council and Chief Executive.
The fifth demand, was the withdrawal of the proposed Fugitive Offenders law, which would have allowed for extradition of alleged criminals between Hong Kong, mainland China and Macau. It was this law that started the protests, and on October 23, the Hong Kong Secretary for Security announced the bill had been withdrawn. Police responded to Sunday’s march with water cannons in an attempt to disperse the crowds, and there were reports of fires at the entrance to the High Court. Middlebury College History Professor Paul Monod joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on December 9, 2019.
