Umbrellas and Revolutions – Hong Kong ’s struggle for democracy

Public debate on Monday October 6 at SPUI25, Amsterdam. Hong Kong is in the midst of what is now termed an ‘Umbrella Movement,’ more than 25 years after the Tiananmen Democracy Movement. Will the call for democracy be heard this time? What is going on in Hong Kong?
Student demonstrations demanding direct elections for the Chief Executive in 2017 have spread to tens of thousands of office workers and managers, and weathered an aborted police crackdown. The media have drawn parallels with the Tiananmen Square Democracy Movement 25 years ago. Will China send troops to quell the protests or risk it becoming a precedent for the Mainland?
Four China scholars, Dr. Donna Chu (Chinese University of Hong Kong), Prof. Jeroen de Kloet (UvA), Prof. Pal Nyiri (VU) and Prof. Frank Pieke (Leiden), try to make sense of the events. An open public debate will follow.
See also here.