On the agenda December 2020∣Youth Hong Kong
Protester Voices T
wo young protesters awaiting trial say they are unrepentant about breaking the law.Janny, 25, can’t forget the night of her arrested on the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus. Bill, 23, an engineering undergraduate, recalls the trauma and the help given by a social worker.
JANNY “I lost count of the days at Poly U last September but I was determined never to surrender. Then came the morning when I was arrested. After that, I was taken to hospital. My hands were injured. I will leave it to you to imagine what had happened. After several days, I had to appear for a court hearing. My father hired a lawyer to defend me against the charge of rioting then I was released on bail.
Responsible citizenship is very important to me, but for that, Hong Kong needs good governance. Right now, I don’t think it’s possible. What the government does just seems to add fuel to the fire and I will never forgive them for what they have done to Hong Kong people, all of us, not just me.
Responsible citizenship is very important to me.
Of course, my parents are worried. They see being part of a stable society as a benefit even if – at least in my eyes – this society is unfair. We never agreed about politics before my arrest but I think their attitude changed when they saw my injured hands. I always used to think of them as pro-government but they listen more to what I have to say now. I still feel angry but I don’t show it any more. I recognize the risks involved in speaking out and am normally a peaceful, law-abiding person. Perhaps my family doesn't understand what changed me so much.
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All we want is for promises to be kept and for Hong Kong to be left alone. Instead, what I see is Hong Kong failing. There is no choice but to become more like mainland China. I may have broken the law but I don’t think it’s enough. It is such a crucial time. It’s now or never. I don’t regret anything I’ve done but if I had the chance again, I would try to be wise and not get caught. Ever since I was arrested, I haven’t slept well. Sometimes I dream of what happened at Poly U, the fears, the rumours, the sense of disconnection from the world outside. All of it seems surreal now, but those few days will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
