But Mr. Kwong, a professed admirer of Abraham Lincoln who races around the city in a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, has assumed the role of peacemaker, foot soldier and guardian at critical moments. When a man last month threatened to jump from the top of a shopping mall in protest, Mr. Kwong rushed to the scene with a loudspeaker to plead with him to reconsider. On Monday, when a small group of protesters charged the legislature, undermining weeks of peaceful protests, he faced a new test. Mr. Kwong, along with several other pro-democracy lawmakers, attempted to persuade the masked protesters to walk away, arguing that their actions would have little impact given that the building was largely empty. But the protesters pushed back, dismissing the politicians as “useless” and resuming their destruction.

Source: New York Times July 04, 2019 11:15 UTC