- [Reporter] Since June,
Hong Kong has seen a lot of action.
Non-stop demonstrations
against the controversial
extradition bill,
violent clashes between
protesters and police,
chaos at the city's airport,
and massive peaceful marches
in which organizers said
nearly two million people
walked in pouring rain.
The movement doesn't have clear leaders
and many people meet anonymously
online to organize action.
But their demands have grown
and become a unifying force
for millions of Hongkongers.
- The public seeks the
government's direct response
to the five major demands.
- Five demands.
- The five requests.
- [Reporter] So what
exactly do protesters want?
It all started with one demand,
the withdrawal of the extradition bill.
It would have allowed
suspects in Hong Kong
to be sent to China for trial.
As a special administrative region,
Hong Kong has some autonomy from Beijing,
like its own judiciary and legal system.
But the proposed bill sparked concerns
about China's growing
influence in the city,
propelling millions of people,
young and old, to come out.
Bowing to public pressure,
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam
suspended the bill
just six days after
the first mass protest,
but didn't shelve it.
As a result, people continue to demand
it be withdrawn completely.
The leader of Hong Kong
responded with this.
- The bill is dead.
- [Reporter] As the
government keeps refusing
to formally withdraw the bill,
people continue taking to the streets,
fearing it could be resurrected.
On June 12, tens of
thousands of protesters
blocked the entrance to the
Legislative Council Building.
Police responded to the huge congregation
with tear gas and rubber bullets.
It shocked the city.
The incident was designated a riot.
Lam says accusations of rioting
won't be used against peaceful protesters.
But this term is controversial
because it could label a rioter
as anyone who is in the
vicinity of the clashes.
Those found guilty rioting
could face up to 10 years in jail.
Protesters are demanding that
the designation be dropped.
They also want amnesty for
those who've been arrested.
Since June, police have
made over 700 arrests.
The government argues amnesty
would weaken the rule of law
if prosecutions weren't followed through.
Protester are also demanding
an independent inquiry
into the police handling of the protests.
Officers have shot not only
the projectiles at close range
and liberally fire tear gas
in residential and tourist
areas, even in subway stations.
This has become one of the
biggest rallying cries.
In one of the latest skirmishes
a young woman was hit in the eye.
She's become a symbol
of the movement against police brutality.
Lam says an inquiry into police actions
would be bad for officers' morale
and insisted that a
government watchdog group
led by civilians would
do as much of a good job.
The fifth demand is greater democracy
and the biggest ask.
Under the current governance
system with China,
Hong Kong's leaders and some
members of the lawmaking body
are groups loyal to Beijing.
So protesters are calling
for universal suffrage,
that each person gets a
vote that actually counts
in choosing their leader.
But most experts and
even Hongkongers think
this last demand is
unattainable in the short-term,
given Beijing's toughening
stance on any form of dissent.
As momentum for the movement has grown,
so have protesters' demands.
But the government has refused
to recognize any since mid-June.
Diplomacy is critical in a deadlock.
But the movement's
mostly leaderless nature
means that not one
particular group or person
can speak on behalf of everyone.
Lam has promised to work on dialogue
with different groups of people
from all backgrounds
and political platforms
to find a way out for Hong Kong.
Some of these are big asks,
nonetheless, many protesters hope
the government will make some concessions.
Until then, public discontent
is unlikely to go away.
