Newsletter - November 2018
 

Looking Back

• The by-election of Kowloon West took place on 25th November 2018. The pro-democracy camp candidate Lee Cheuk-yan represented the Labour Party and received 93,047 votes (43.28%). Pro-Beijing candidate Chan Hoi-yan won with 106,457 votes (49.52%). 
  

• The Hong Kong Pride Parade marched from Causeway Bay to Central on 17th November 2018. This year’s theme was “Call for the law, equality for all”, and had as dress code “Proud Purple.”  The Demosisto team wore Tinky Winky costumes on the day, and participated in the demand for legislation to regulate discrimination against individuals with different sexual orientations.
  
  
   

• Although our Secretary General Joshua Wong could not make it to Washington DC to receive his Lantos Human Rights Prize, he was featured in Washington Post writing about Hong Kong’s human rights situation and the G20 summit. You can read the article here.
  
  
  Source: The Indian Wire

In The Now

• In view of Beijing’s intervention in Hong Kong’s autonomy, in addition to its suppression of civil society and of democratisation, Demosisto has now sent a delegation to Washington D.C. to meet with local officials and members of Congress to implore them to address Hong Kong’s level of autonomy their annual report and their congressional hearings. Our other purpose is to encourage sponsorship for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, so that it may be passed in the coming congressional year. You can read the full statement here.
  
• Legislative Council member Eddie Chu was disqualified on 2nd November 2018 from a village election in Hong Kong. The returning officer accused Chu of dodging questions regarding his political beliefs, and interpreted his ansrew as having the possibility of Hong Kong breaking from China. This argument has been heavily criticised by prominent legal scholars such as the HKU law dean Johannes Chan.
  
  
• The trial of nine Occupy Central leaders started on 19th November 2018. The nine of them were accused of public nuisance during their involvement in the Umbrella Movement in 2014. The nine accused include among them Professor Benny Tai, sociology professor Chan Kin-man, baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, and lawmakers Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka Chun, and they each carry between one to three charges, which could imply a prison term of up to seven years.
  
  

Moving forward

• Demosisto will be co-hosting Our Sea: Save the Ocean Carnival to raise awareness about the East Lantau Artificial Island and reclamation plan. This will be a free, family-friendly event, and will take place on 16th December 2018 from 2pm to 7pm. Please join us in the centre grass area of Cadogan Street Temporary Garden, Kennedy Town (junction of Cadogan Street and Victoria Road). The carnival itself will take place 2-6pm, and will include fun fair booths and a community forum. The movie “The Sea Within” will be shown 6-7pm.