Hong Kong Hong Kong authorities block pro-democracy candidate from byelection Demosisto member Agnes Chow had reportedly renounced her British citizenship and deferred her studies to stand for legislative council Agnes Chow (centre) founded Demosisto with fellow umbrella movement leaders including Joshua Wong and Nathan Law in 2016. Photograph: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty ImagesHong Kong’s embattled pro-democracy movement has suffered another blow after authorities barred a leading member of the “umbrella” movement from standing in a byelection. The historic mobilisation paralysed Hong Kong’s financial heart for 79 days but ultimately failed to win democratic concessions from Beijing, which has controlled the former British colony since handover in 1997. “The Chinese government keeps lying to Hong Kong’s people and making fake promises to us … So it is the time for Hong Kong people to fight back,” Chow told the Guardian at the time. In 2017 Xi staged Hong Kong’s biggest military parade since handover, a move analysts said was designed to intimidate such groups and show Beijing’s determination to destroy them.

Source: The Guardian January 27, 2018 05:15 UTC