The land of the free and the home of the brave draws the mind to one place: the USA.
The American national anthem has been a trademark for freedom achieved through revolution.
Over 200 years after America gained its independence, the city of Hong Kong fights for its own freedom to take the crown as democracy’s new face for freedom.
Today in China they celebrate National Day of The People’s Republic of China, also known as Fourth of July for the communist country.
All major cities around the country will be celebrating their nation, except for Hong Kong that will take to the streets again to protest.
Hong Kong’s revolution escalated this year after decades of tension between the mostly-autonomous city and China.
Hong Kongers have flooded the streets, malls and even the airport crying out for China to keep its hands off their democracy.
The American flag was seen being waved to the sound of the American national anthem during an August airport protest.
Hong Kong citizens use our flag as a symbol to combat the oppression they face. Similarly the protests started the same way Americans protested the British.
Hong Kong was first occupied by Britain in 1841 and was held under its power until 1997, when a deal was made between Britain and China.
Hong Kong reunited with China under a “one country, two systems” principle.
Officially a part of China, Hong Kong retained its own parliament, court system and currency, but could not conduct foreign affairs or raise an army.
The system was never perfect, but allowed Hong Kongers freedom of speech and other democratic rights that mainland Chinese residents do not hold.
Those rights have an expiration date as the deal is set to dissolve in 2047 and would return control of Hong Kong back to the mainland.
Hong Kongers knew that their way of life would not last forever, but did not expect it to end sooner than it was initially anticipated.
According to The New York Times, protests began in 2014 with around 700,000 Hong Kongers voting to give access to the public to vote on their chief executive.
Despite the protesters’ efforts, China laid down stricter voter limits in response.
Then in 2015, five booksellers from Causeway Bay Books, a book store in Hong Kong that sells books that are banned on the mainland, went missing.
One of the missing booksellers, Lam Wing-kee, reappeared in June of 2016 where he said he was kidnapped by Chinese special forces and was put through mental torture during his abduction, according to the South China Morning Post.
The tension reached its breaking point this year after a 20-year-old pregnant Hong Konger was murdered by her boyfriend while on vacation in Taiwan.
The case catapulted China to pass an extradition bill that would allow other governments to prosecute Hong Kong citizens who were suspected of crimes in the country where the crimes occur.
The bill immediately enraged Hong Kongers because they thought it was a scapegoat bill in order for the mainland to prosecute anti-China protesters.
It was the last push protesters needed and has made 2019 full of protests, fueling the movement more than ever before.
Hong Kongers do not seem like they will back down anytime soon, and with National China Day being today, expect nothing less than crowded streets all around the city.
They are armed with umbrellas to combat pepper spray shots from police and driven by the ideals that once drove our own nation to revolt.
Let Hong Kong today be void of the Chinese National Anthem and instead filled with songs of freedom on a day that should instead be named National Hong Kong Day.
