A global revolution
March 30, 2020
Lebanon is not the only country in the midst of a revolution. Citizens in other countries such as Ecuador, Chile, and China are also protesting against their governments.
Protests in Hong Kong began March 21, 2019, and have not stopped since. These protests were instigated after the Hong Kong government proposed a law that would extradite criminal suspects in Hong Kong to mainland China.
According to CBS News, citizens of Hong Kong are worried that they could be unfairly arrested under the laws of mainland China and could face unfair trials and violent treatment. Meanwhile, the protests have escalated and grown increasingly more violent.
“We’ve had several times when we have to either send people home early from work or tell them to work from home because there have been severe protests,” said Neil Vesta*, who has lived in Hong Kong for over 20 years.
The protests do not directly impact his family because they live outside of Hong Kong, but getting into the city can be hard.
“On days there are protests, the school bus is canceled going into the city. Then you have to get your own ride home or leave early,” said Maia Vesta*, Neil’s 14-year-old daughter.
While protesters are fighting for what they believe is right, the protests have also had some negative consequences.
“It’s affecting the economic situation of the city. There are a lot of businesses that are now closing because they’re not getting as much business as they used to. Not many people are visiting Hong Kong, and all these restaurants in the city are getting half the traffic that they used to before. They’re not making money and [are] therefore shutting down, putting more people out of business,” Neil Vesta said.
Hong Kong is facing the repercussions of protests and Lebanese students are now making up the school they missed on Saturdays; but they are willing to make these short term sacrifices in hopes of improving their countries in the long run.
*Due to the sensitive nature of the content, these names have been changed to protect the anonymity of the sources.