I am not prone to naive optimism. But I must admit that I felt unusually hopeful standing on Monash University’s campus outside Melbourne, Australia, on the chilly afternoon of Aug. 6, watching students from across the Hong Kong-China divide engage in open and rational discussion of Hong Kong’s unfolding crisis.
Over the past two weeks, pro-Chinese Communist Party students in Australia and New Zealand, where mainlanders make up at least 30 percent of overseas students, had engaged in a series of violent outbursts against protesters voicing support for the Hong Kong struggle. The confrontations stretched from the University of Queensland to Auckland, New Zealand, with counterprotesters pushing fellow students; tearing away protest signs; destroying Lennon walls, first createdduring the Occupy protests of 2014, where anyone can use Post-it notes to share their thoughts; and engaging peaceful discussion.
Over the past two weeks, pro-Chinese Communist Party students in Australia and New Zealand, where mainlanders make up at least 30 percent of overseas students, had engaged in a series of violent outbursts against protesters voicing support for the Hong Kong struggle. The confrontations stretched from the University of Queensland to Auckland, New Zealand, with counterprotesters pushing fellow students; tearing away protest signs; destroying Lennon walls, first createdduring the Occupy protests of 2014, where anyone can use Post-it notes to share their thoughts; and engaging peaceful discussion.
