Hong Kong fights for its freedom

“What is transpiring in Hong Kong is reminiscent of that similar protest in Beijing 30 years ago.”

What is transpiring in Hong Kong has me worried.

In 1949, Mao Zedong stood at the gates of Tiananmen Square proclaiming the founding of the People’s Republic of China saying “the people of China have stood up.”  For the last several weeks, the people of Hong Kong have stood up — asserting their rights and demanding their freedoms.

What is transpiring in Hong Kong is reminiscent of that similar protest in Beijing 30 years ago. I should know: I was in Tiananmen with those protesters for three nights and have been a student of China for more than a half century.

In 1989, Chinese students gathered in Tiananmen Square, calling for an end to corruption and for greater “freedom and democracy.” We know how that protest ended. It was not pretty.

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