Watch: Hong Kong activists front up to Thai consulate in protest support
Hong Kong activists protest outside the Thai consulate in the city in support of pro-democracy protests in Bangkok.
A couple of dozen activists and supporters waved placards in support of Thai protesters and stuck posters on the windows of the building housing the consulate, while police warned those present to disperse.
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Prominent local activist Joshua Wong said Hong Kong stands with protesters in Thailand, adding the country “inspires Hong Kongers a lot to continue our fight for freedom.”
Activists demonstrate in solidarity with ongoing pro-democracy protests in Thailand, outside the office building where the Thai consulate is located in Hong Kong on October 19, 2020. (AFP)
“With the crackdown from the authorities in Thai, today we stand with fellow protesters in Thailand. Crackdown and oppression is not the way out. It is time to end oppression in Thailand and to push forward democratic reform,” said Joshua Wong, a Hong Kong activist.
“With the greater crackdown, it will result in the greater resist from people and activists all over the world. Thailand is not the place only for Hong Kongers to have our leisure trip or just for our travel purpose anymore. Thai people and Thai[land] is also the place that really inspires Hong Kongers a lot to continue our fight for freedom and we urge the world to stand with activists and protesters who are under greatest oppression,” Wong added.
Hong Kong and Thailand have both seen their streets filled with protesters daring to take on an entrenched political elite, and to discuss once-taboo subjects in their push for greater freedoms.
Voranai Vanijaka, a political analyst at Bangkok’s Thammasat University, said tech-savvy youths in both territories have “shared cultural values.”
“(It’s) the love for freedom and the courage to fight for change,” he told AFP.
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