It is five months since Hong Kong’s Umbrella revolution folded up and called a halt to its occupation of the city centre. Although none of its demands for “real democracy” was met, the student-led movement was hardly a flop. Most who witnessed the protests were charmed by the idealism of young people in a city that is often dismissed as obsessed only by money.
Students showed they care about legitimate government too. They proved that demonstrations could be peaceful. Protesters cleared up litter and set up classrooms to show they were not neglecting their studies. Although the city’s government tried to portray the occupation as anarchic, the students demonstrated the opposite: that Hong Kong is a mature society with a civic-minded citizenry ready to participate in a genuine democracy.
As brave as the students were, predictably they turned out to be a resistible force. The immovable object was Beijing. China’s Communist party was never going to let a bunch of street protesters back it into a corner. From its point of view, that would set a ghastly precedent. So would the idea of a citizenry freely electing its own leaders.