Battle for Hong Kong (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

[Music] from the first student protests to the millions who took to the streets against beijing's control [Applause] or acts are one step closer to terrorism filmed over eight months an inside look at the conflict in the eyes of the chinese communist party all fighting for democracy is over the red line battle for hong kong now on frontline [Music] be [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] it's the fourth month of pro-democracy demonstrations in hong kong protesters have surrounded the car of an off-duty police officer the city is in turmoil [Music] the officer shoots and injures a 14 year old protester [Music] how did one of the world's biggest financial centers descend into such chaos and violence and where will it end [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] this film follows five young protesters through the most intense clashes facing a rest for their actions most are wearing masks and using aliases to protect their identities they say they're fighting for their freedom against the communist government of china [Music] china says they are radicals thugs and separatists [Music] momo is a nurse in her late twenties when she was a child hong kong was a british colony in 1997 it was returned to china and granted special status for 50 years allowing for far more freedoms than in mainland china but the city's government would be accountable to the communist regime and its leader approved by beijing at [Music] on foreign the 12th last year momo was one of tens of thousands who took to the streets hong kong's government had proposed a controversial extradition bill that would allow criminal suspects to foreign [Music] amid growing concerns about china's influence in hong kong [Music] the extradition bill struck a nerve [Music] the majority of protesters were peaceful but a few tried to take on the police momo says she wasn't ready for what happened next hello [Applause] the police fired large amounts of tear gas into the crowds they were filmed beating protesters [Applause] [Music] [Music] the hong kong authorities said the police had adopted a restrained and tolerant attitude on june 12 and called the protesters rioters [Music] for many hong kongers that day was a turning point one of them was lomi a researcher m preparing for the next protest in the weeks since june 12 the demonstrations have escalated the protesters now have more demands including the right to directly elect hong kong's leader without china's approval the majority have been peaceful but some like lumi are taking a different approach [Music] oh [Music] the foreign start firing tear gas to try to clear the streets [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] lomi and her team helped build barricades to stop police water cannon vehicles getting within range then they realize the police are closing in seconds later police special forces charged the protesters they make more than a hundred arrests [Applause] [Music] but lomi and her team escape [Music] huh [Applause] hong kong special status is due to end in 2047 when china will take back full control [Music] foreign [Music] as the protests have intensified china has warned that it could directly intervene in b [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] vincent is one of tens of thousands of high school students at the heart of the protests he has first-hand experience of life in mainland china he grew up there before moving to hong kong in his teens [Music] [Music] foreign vincent says he fears hong kong will become a surveillance state like china [Music] some lamp posts here are already equipped with sensors and cameras and have become targets of the protesters [Applause] foreign [Music] hong kong currently has a free press and internet unlike on the chinese mainland where both are heavily censored so it was only when vincent arrived in hong kong that he learned about china's deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters at january square in 1989 [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Applause] since the protests began millions of hong kong residents have participated making them the largest on chinese territory since january square [Applause] on this night vincent has joined thousands of others in the center of the city one of their slogans is liberate hong kong revolution of our a few hours later the violence escalates the first live round is fired by the police a warning shot okay [Music] [Music] i thought a lot on my own future i had to be mentally prepared to be arrested or even to be sent to the prison at 22 agnes chao is already a veteran of pro-democracy protests she's not worried about showing her face because she's already known to the authorities she was recently arrested when i woke up and i opened the door of my room i suddenly saw five police officers standing outside of my room and i was so shocked now she's on bail and tonight must report to a police station agnes says she was demonstrating peacefully but was charged with taking part and inciting others to join an unauthorized assembly if i was sent to prison because of participating in assembly or protest of course is a political prisoner the violence and the suppression from beijing and hong kong government and also hong kong police is getting stronger and stronger [Music] hong kong has a history of pro-democracy demonstrations and protests against china but never on this scale [Applause] [Music] and now the police deem most demonstrations illegal citing concerns about violence [Applause] hong kong people should enjoy genuine democracy at least we would have a political system that could kind of force the government to respect and to listen to public opinion in the eyes of the chinese communist party or behavior or social movement fighting for democracy is over the red line we want to choose our future by ourselves [Music] agnes is scheduled to go on trial soon she faces up to five years behind bars [Music] [Music] it's mid-september momo has been protesting regularly since june she says the violence used to suppress the protests has traumatized her it's also made her angry she now goes to the front lines providing medical support and extinguishing tear gas rounds [Music] hong kong is now bitterly divided over the best way forward and whether the protests are doing more harm than good [Music] the city is suffering the worst recession in a decade and many blame the protests [Music] all [Music] it's been almost four months of protests lomi has been out confronting the police several times a week [Music] in hosie [Music] [Music] fun the police are stepping up the arrests [Music] the protesters face up to 10 years in jail for rioting so the stakes are high one of the biggest celebrations in china's history is on the horizon and the protesters are planning to do all they can to undermine it okay marks national day 70 years since the beginning of communist rule in china a huge parade in beijing will showcase china's increasing military and economic power to the world [Music] the hong kong police are on high alert we are on the verge of extreme danger mass property destruction furious street fights indiscriminate attacks on the innocent citizens there are apparent signs that hardcore violence will escalate in the near future all acts are one step closer to terrorism vincent the high school student from mainland china is also planning to protest on national day for him and many other protesters it's a very symbolic day a lot of people are suffering under this regime people in tibet or xinjiang or people practicing religion in china people who voice out the truth that's why for us it's never a day for celebration [Music] the celebrations in beijing are underway marking china's emergence as a global power [Music] presiding over the event is china's leader xi jinping [Music] back in hong kong momo is getting ready for action on the streets foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] me to stretch the police response across the city [Applause] [Music] young [Music] foreign as the day progresses the protesters anger against china ramps up a group of them surrounded chinese tourists there's growing suspicion of anyone from the mainland oh [Applause] [Music] [Music] by mid-afternoon on national day clashes between protesters and police have spread to 13 areas across hong kong [Music] the police are closing in around lomi's group [Music] oh in another part of the city momo's heading to the front line [Music] she's recorded a message for her parents i'm trioti mommy [Music] again [Music] [Music] mom the course of the protests on national day the hong kong police say they are forced to shoot six live rounds to defend themselves one is fired by an officer whose colleague is being attacked by a group of protesters [Music] the bullet seriously injures a high school student [Music] to cap off the day there's a huge firework display in beijing hong kong's official fireworks are cancelled but the protesters organized their own [Applause] foreign [Music] [Music] after the violence on china's national day hong kong's authorities take new measures in an effort to stop the protests protesters violence has been escalating and has reached a very alarming level in the past few days causing numerous injuries and leading hong kong to a chaotic and panic situation the chief executive in council decided at a special meeting this morning to invoke the power under the emergency regulations ordinance the objective of this regulation is to end violence and restore order face masks are banned the government also goes on to make a concession formally withdrawing the extradition bill that ignited the protests but it's too late hardliners ramp up their battles with the police and take control of the university campus lee is part of the core group occupying the chinese university of hong kong [Music] lee is married and has a daughter he's been protesting since june [Music] foreign [Music] foreign okay [Music] lee and his fellow hardliners are devising new ways to keep the police at bay fortifying their barricade of the university campus [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] lee and the hardliners have heard there's a larger gathering elsewhere in hong kong they decide to abandon the chinese university [Music] they have a bigger battle to fight across the city at the hong kong polytechnic university [Music] around 2 000 protesters have amassed at the campus and lee and his fellow hardliners are also here [Music] the police have them surrounded it's the start of the most violent confrontation since the protest began [Applause] up on the terrace lee is in the firing line [Music] hello [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] the standoff at the university drags on through the night inside there's a growing sense of desperation [Music] [Music] [Music] lomi and her team start planning their escape [Music] [Music] they plan to use a rope to climb onto a nearby highway overpass [Music] go find it [Music] lomay disappears into the chaos just as another group of protesters try to get out of the campus [Music] [Music] [Music] the police continue to bombard the crowd with tear gas rubber bullets and water cannons [Music] suddenly the police move in [Music] okay [Music] [Music] it's a major victory for the authorities [Music] after nearly half a year of pitched battles much of the hardline protest movement has been broken apart [Music] we strongly condemn the varieties for taking the university and using it as a weapon factory in the whole polyu instant the police arrest 8 37 people we have civil tolerance for any violence or criminal act the police will bring all offenders to justice [Music] after the end of the polytechnic siege the police arrest more protesters momo is still going to the protests she says she's increasingly worried about the countdown to china taking full control of hong kong you can't die [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] vincent is now on bail after being arrested for unauthorized assembly he used to regularly visit mainland china to see his father and family but after his arrest he says he's worried the authorities there will also punish him for being part of the protests meanwhile [Music] [Music] you [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] hello lomi has fled hong kong after escaping the campus siege eight weeks earlier she's taking refuge in nearby taiwan hole though [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] for more on this and other frontline programs visit our website at pbs.org frontline [Music] frontline's battle for hong kong is available on amazon prime video [Music] you

Channel: FRONTLINE PBS | Official

Views: 187,401

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Id: mq4AIgSkSM8

Length: 53min 17sec (3197 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 28 2022