HONG KONG — Five years ago, on June 9, 2019, I watched 1 million people march through the streets of Hong Kong., stretching as far as I could see from my perch on one of the city’s ubiquitous elevated walkways. It wasIt was also almost entirely peaceful, even festive, representing a cross section of Hong Kong society. I saw students and elders, well-known activists and ordinary people, and couples pushing children in strollers.
Lam’s response to the million-person march was something like imperial disdain. She said the people “didn’t understand” the bill. She said the government only needed to communicate better. And in her most condescending remark, she compared the demonstrators marching in the streetsto get what they wanted. She vowed to ram the hated extradition bill through the pro-Beijing legislative council three days later, on June 12, 2019., blocking streets and charging police barricades.
What if the marchers had remained peaceful, never resorting to violence and prompting the tough police response?