In Hong Kong, citizens held a rally at a basketball court, expressing gratitude to those in the NBA that have shown support for the ongoing protests.
In the pouring rain, Hong Kongers chanted slogans and held signs, thanking NBA fans and officials for supporting their fight for liberty.
“We are fighting for democracy and freedom, who the U.S. citizens or civilians are enjoying,” a Hong Kong citizen William said. “And we hope that by fighting against tyranny, that one day we will have freedom and democracy here in Hong Kong.”
For over four months, Hong Kong has been rocked by large-scale mostly peaceful protests in opposition to a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed people to be transferred to the mainland for trial in courts controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, but have since morphed into wider calls for democracy and universal suffrage.
Protesters at the rally hope the global community will take notice of the situation in Hong Kong and the evils of communism.
“Even more severe oppression is happening in different parts of China, including Xinjiang, including Tibet, and even for Taiwan who is trying to fight for their global position in the world, that they are still under the threat of the attack from the CCP. So it’s not just Hong Kong, it’s the global fight against tyranny,” William said.
Citizens are determined to keep going until their concerns are addressed by the government.
“We don’t need to do a lot to keep the fire, to keep our spirits,” protester Nikio said. “Because it’s win or die. Win or die, we have no choice. We need to do this.”
“There’s no way out. If we don’t fight right now, we never get another chance to fight. That’s the only thing we can do,” protestor James said. “We can come out, we can speak, we can do our right thing. That’s our right, that’s our human right. That’s not China yet, this is Hong Kong.”
The Hong Kong government has done little to respond to the voices of its citizens, defending police brutality and mass arrests under pressure from Beijing.
“Carrie Lam, she’s the one started off to tell us China and the Hong Kong government is not going to fulfill everything that we want. So they are going to make a change, it’s going to be one country, no system,” said Aaron. “We do not listen to whatever the Hong Kong government says. We will not trust a liar. She is a big liar, China is a big liar.”
Rain or shine, citizens are coming up with new and creative ways to speak out and keep their spirits up.
With reporting by Jeremy Sandberg
Epoch Times reporter Eva Fu contributed to this report.
