In the shadows of democracy

On 28th September 2014, 800,000 protestors took to the streets of Hong Kong to peacefully propagate the ideals of democracy, universal suffrage and self-determination for the Far Eastern capital, winding its way towards 2047 and its inevitable engulfment by China.

Protest took many different forms in Hong Kong. Violence, surprise and disbelief collided on 27th September, as the Hong Kong police deployed tear gas and batons in the crowd. Diplomacy, forgiveness and an overwhelming solidarity combined on the 28th September, where – in the face of preceding violence – the city took to the streets to protect its students, peacefully and pragmatically. The sheer scale of the occupation (coming to an end on its 65th day), overwhelmed Hong Kong. The macroeconomic battle lines were drawn. It touched every family, every student. The number 65 resonates with the 65th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. With the legacy of Tiananmen burning bright (2014 compellingly also marked its 25th anniversary), the urgency (or futility) of Hong Kong’s cause permeated everything.

Taken at the Admiralty protest sites over the period 29 September to 2 November 2014, my documentary images capture those first days, those first hours - of protest, where courage, bewilderment and the self-belief of youth combined on the city’s main thoroughfares, in the shadow of the government’s establishment.