The new coronavirus has handed Beijing an unexpected gift — an end to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy rallies. But for protesters like Sam it is a chance to rest up before going back on the streets.
“A lot of us, especially frontliners, need a little bit of a break,” said the high-school student, who is hunkering down in his tiny apartment doing school work and playing video games after months manning umbrella shield walls and dodging tear gas in battles with riot police.
“Only after this break did I notice how bad I was doing (mentally),” said Sam, who declined to use his real name for fear of being arrested. “That being said, I’m as motivated as ever to get back on the streets continue fighting.” For the Chinese Government — and its unelected proxy leaders in Hong Kong — the end of the financial hub’s huge rallies that engulfed the city for seven months straight has been a rare spot of good fortune in an otherwise grim start to the year.