what’s going on?

• Protests have been raging in Hong Kong against a controversial extradition bill which would allow suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial - Al Jazeera

• Hong Kong police have been using excessive force (rubber coated bullets, tear gas, water cannons), arresting protesters, and mischaracterizing the protests as rioting to justify their brutality

• What do protesters want? - @peoplevsbeijing

  • Complete withdrawal of the Extradition Bill

  • Retraction of the “riot” characterization of the protests

  • Charges dropped against all protesters

  • Investigation of police brutality

  • Public vote for Chief Executive and Legislative Councillor

why is this happening?

• According to Carrie Lam, the bill is intended to prevent Hong Kong from becoming a safe haven for fugitives - Vox

• Hong Kong residents fear that the bill would expose Hong Kong to China’s flawed judicial system and lead to further erasure of the city’s judicial independence - BBC

• Why is this bill controversial?

  • Critics say people would be subject to arbitrary detention, unfair trial and torture under China's judicial system

  • The proposed changes to the extradition laws will put anyone in Hong Kong doing work related to the mainland at risk, including activists, human rights lawyers, journalists, and social workers

  • Hong Kong residents don’t trust the mainland Chinese government to guarantee their safety and fair trial 

• On June 15th, due to the protests, Carrie Lam announced the suspension of the bill and apologized to the public - Vox

• However, protesters are calling for its complete retraction as well as her resignation - Vox

what’s happening now?

• Hong Kong residents are continuing to protest after seven weekends of demonstrations

• On July 21st, police were involved in more brutality towards protesters and didn’t act as protesters were being attacked by Yuen Long Triads

what can I do?

• Raise awareness and show solidarity on your social media accounts

  • Post Instagram stories from the social media guide with the hashtags below, retweet the voices of Hong Kong citizens, and share articles on your social media platforms

• Keep yourself updated on what’s happening in the news

• Sign the White House petition to show your opposition to the extradition bill

• Sign the White House petition to voice your support for high autonomy in Hong Kong as well as

social media guide:

• Hashtags to use/follow: #HongKongProtest, #NoChinaExtradition

• Accounts to follow: @joshuawongcf, @galileocheng, @jeffielam, @hongkongfp, @hoccgoomusic on Twitter, @peoplevsbeijing on Instagram

• Sample posts/stories/profile photos:

more information:

• “Britain has a duty to help Hong Kong out of this dark moment” - The Guardian

• “How the U.S. Can Help Hong Kong” - WSJ

• “Hong Kong protests: How tensions have spread to US” - BBC

• Hong Kong - HRW