In Hong Kong millions have taken to the streets. They are opposing the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill proposed by Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of the province. These demonstrations have become the focal point of the most significant developments in China since Tiananmen Square.
Hong Kong province was under British rule as far back as 1842. This British imperialism despite its evils, also was a blessing. When China’s communist revolution enslaved a nation and murdered 60 million Chinese citizens, the British government shielded Hong Kong from its evils. Democracy and capitalism made it, instead, one of the freest and most prosperous cities in the world.
But through a series of resolutions at the United Nations, China’s communist party maneuvered Britain into the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration surrendering Hong Kong to communism.
Her citizens were rightly alarmed. To appease them, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) included a “one country, two systems” clause. This promised that Hong Kong would remain self-governing for 50 years after the handover date and that the socialist system would not be implemented until 2047.
In the decade leading up to the July 1, 1997 handover, tens of thousands sought refuge in Britain. Few trusted the communists to keep their promise. Their fears were well-justified. Since the handover, mainland China has inexorably tightened its grip on Hong Kong. Then, on the 20th anniversary of the handover (June 30, 2017), China’s Foreign Ministry declared the declaration to be an historical document that no longer had any practical significance.
The Fugitive Offenders amendment bill is an expression of that posture. Designed to undermine self-governance, it would allow Hong Kong’s citizens to be extradited out of the province to be tried and punished under communist laws that free citizens refuse to enact.
News of the bill first filtered out in March. Scattered protests occurred until its official introduction in June. By then protesters numbered in the hundreds of thousands. By June 12, riot police were deployed using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the peaceful crowds.
Then, something remarkable happened. Crowds swelling to 2 million started singing. “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord” a Christian hymn, became the anthem of the 2019 protests in Hong Kong. Even though Christians make up only ten percent of the population, they set the tone for the crowds.
The corrupt government repeatedly sought to characterize them as rioters. But the anthem prevented this from happening. In Hong Kong laws that require a permit for public assemblies exempt religious groups. The anthem qualified the protesters to assemble lawfully. On another level, the decidedly Christian tone of the anthem kept the throngs peaceful.
Christians, especially, have a great deal at stake should the extradition bill be enacted. Recently communist China has torn down Christian churches, arrested Christian pastors, dispersed congregations and destroyed Bibles. They have made it illegal to evangelize, teaching their own children, build churches and other normal religious activities. An extradition law in Hong Kong would suddenly put every Christian at risk of being extradited for crimes that are not crimes in Hong Kong.
Communists persecute religion generally because in the communist system, there can be no rivals to the central power. Anyone that acknowledges a transcendent authority above the government threatens its power. More particularly, the PRC sees Christianity as a threat because the heart of Western culture is Christianity.
This is not my assessment. It is China’s. In 2011 the state-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences concluded, “The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics.”
This can help explain why the democratic movement in Hong Kong is largely led by the minority Christian population. It also explains why Xi Jinping has ramped up the persecution of Christian Churches throughout the mainland.
After nearly three months of protests in Hong Kong, Chief Executive Lam (no doubt at the direction of Xi) finally announced the formal withdrawal of the extradition bill. If they hoped that this would diffuse the pro-democracy movement, the communist leaders have been disappointed.
The protesters continue to rally and “Sing Halleluiah to the Lord.” They are still calling for an investigation of the police brutality against then, a release of arrested protesters, and a return to the democracy that was part of the 50-year agreement.
They have also taken to waving American flags. Even though Hong Kong is a former British colony, they are not waving the Union Jack. They seem to know that America’s power for good remains “the last best hope of earth.”
Last weekend the protesters started chanting, “Resist Beijing, Liberate Hong Kong! Pray for us, U.S., pray for us!” We should heed their call.
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