WATCH: These sights and sounds from Hong Kong demonstrate a contrast between the relative civility of the protesters and the actions of those holding them down.
HONG KONG — This week, The West Block with Tom Clark travelled to Hong Kong, the heart of an ongoing fight for democracy. There, Tom caught up with Martin Lee, the founder of the Democratic Party of Hong Kong. Lee, who has spent many of his 76 years involved in activism, had some harsh words for Western governments, including Canada’s.
When the British gave Hong Kong back to China in 1997, China promised the city would be semi-autonomous and allowed to continue running a capitalist system while also maintaining freedom of speech, religion and of the press. China also promised the people of Hong Kong that they could one day vote directly for their new leader. Last year, that promise came undone.
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Beijing said Hong Kong could have its vote in 2017, but communist-led China would chose which candidates can run.
In September, pro democracy advocates took to the streets in numbers never before seen in Hong Kong.
Canadian response to the massive and ongoing protests has been muted, even timid. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has issued only a very short statement via Twitter: “Aspirations of people of Hong kong are clear. Canada supports continued freedom of speech and prosperity under the rule of law,” he wrote on Sept. 28.
Lee, a lawyer and former legislator, said he believes governments like Canada’s are afraid of offending China, which is why no one has offered any condemnation of its decision to go back on its promise to the people of Hong Kong.
WATCH: A lifetime spent fighting for democracy. Martin Lee describes being attacked with tear gas last week.
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“We strongly support the aspirations of the people of Hong Kong,” he said. “We support the commitments that were made in the 1997 transfer … all the commitments that were made in the 1997 with the transfer should be honoured.”
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