THE ANTI-EXTRADITION LAW AMENDMENT BILL MOVEMENT —YOUTH POLITICAL AGENCY Agnes Ku ANTI-ELAB MOVEMENT: “REVOLUTION OF THE TIMES” The Five Demands in 2019: • withdrawal of the ELAB bill • a commission for independent inquiry on police conduct 2019 • release of arrestees • retracting official characterisation of protests as ‘riots’ • universal suffrage 2014 “Five Demands, Not One Less” YOUTH PARTICIPATION Aged 29 & under % Umbrella Movement around 60%* Anti-ELAB Movement around 42%** General Population 2019 around 28% * Cheng & Chan 2017 ** F. Lee & his team (findings on June 9 & Oct 20, 2019) ANTI-ELAB MOVEMENT (AEM) v more generalized participation in society— across different age groups (& different sectors) v still, participation was proportionally higher among younger people v in absolute numbers, more people participating in including more young people YOUTH: AS ACTOR/ VICTIM Arrests (as of 9 December 2019): • about 6,000 people arrested • 40% of them being students • 340 under 16 years old (youngest: 11 years old) ******** • overseas escape • serious injuries • political suicides • mysterious deaths/ dead bodies found YOUTH POLITICAL AGENCY vYo u t h Political Agency • Subjectivity • Strategy • Solidarity v Agency, Context & Contingency SUBJECTIVITY SUBJECTIVITY (selfhood, consciousness, identity & emotion etc.) A New Political Generation/ A New Generational Consciousness v Post-90s generation & millennials (anti-national education; UM & its aftermath) v A new discourse of “self-mastery over one’s destiny” (命運自主) in UM v Localism : from nativism (Civic Passion) to civic universalism (Demosisto) v Localism : autonomy vis-a-vis Chinese government (=/= independence) (Demosisto: from advocating self-determination to progressive democracy) v Agency à decentering à leaderless movements v Radicalization à increased militancy SUBJECTIVITY death Politics of Emotion: ‘Youth’ & Beyond note • ‘endgame’ imagery (determination) suffering • ‘without a future’ (despair) • ‘Youth’: emotional appeal bravery v Protect Our Kids Campaign; Hong Kong Mothers • ‘A community of common destiny’ (命運共同體) solidarity v suffering & solidarity STRATEGY A Leaderless Movement • a loose, horizontally extended form of mobilisation • role of small groups & social media • ‘Be water’ (flexibility) Nonviolent Forms of Action • rallies, sit-ins and strikes (e.g. a Unity-in-Diversity (Solidarity) 3-day sit-in at the airport); • graffitiing; Lennon Walls; human • a norm of non-divisiveness chains; wildcat actions; flash v ‘we fight on, each in his own way’ (兄弟爬山，各自努力) mobs; citizens’ press v ‘no snitching, no severing of ties’ (不篤灰、不割席) conferences • co-strategy of nonviolence & militancy • protest song & art PROTEST MILITANCY Agency, Context & Contingency v Earlier Milestone Experiences • June 12 : (a) confrontation with the police to stall 2nd reading of the bill; (b) police firing tear gas outside CICIT Tower • July 1 : storming the Legco Building ––a moment of victory & liberation ––spurred “Reclaim Tuen Mun” campaign & marches in other districts ––popularization of ‘Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times’ v Escalation of Protest Militancy Intended & Unintended Developments Context: Political Authoritarianism, Police Repression & Thug Violence • ‘HK People, Add Oil’ à ‘HK People, Resist’ à ‘HK People, Revenge’ Trigger Event: • death of a university student (Alex Chow) in early Nov Scaling up the ‘Dawn Operation’ Campaign: q road obstructions; three suspensions; other activities q fierce confrontations with police at CUHK & HKPU q contingency: ‘positional warfare’ contradicted ‘Be Water’ strategy PROTEST MILITANCY Militancy: A Double-edged Sword v build resistance; v cross a dangerous line and result with the loss of control -- vandalism against shops with a different political stance -- protester violence against people (on defensive, suspicious or other grounds) ETHICAL DILEMMAS Ku: Populism • more on action than on ethical dilemmas Joseph Chan: Ethics of Violence • defensible & indefensible grounds Petula Ho: Ideology ofValiancy • silences imposed by the valiant ideology within the movement Francis Lee: Dilemmas of Solidarity • undermining critical discussion; silencing of dissents RETHINKING SOCIAL & LEGAL JUSTICE Youth Political Agency v shaped by culture & society [generational change] —Shouldn’t we come to terms with such changes? v interacts with context & contingency —Who should bear the brunt of responsibility? Youth as Victim -the problem of political & legal authoritarianism (‘law & order’) A Broader Framework of Legal & Social Justice (e.g. rule of law; democracy; restorative or integrative justice?) THANK YOU! ANTI-ELAB PROTESTS 9/6/2019 14/10/2019 Age % Age % 19 & under 10.5 19 & under 7.3 20-24 20.7 20-24 18.3 25-29 11.6 25-29 16.6 (42.8%) (42.2%) 30-39 14 30-39 24.7 40-49 10.9 40-49 16.9 50-64 21.1 50-64 15.1 65 & above 7.4 65 & above 1.1 (Source: F. Lee & his team) UMBRELLA MOVEMENT (UM) Aged 29 & under: 60.6% Age % 17 & under 7.1 18-24 29.3 25-29 24.2 (Source: Cheng & Chan 2017).