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Hong Kong Protesters United Despite Differences

Suzanne Sataline

   HONG KONG - On July 1, a crowd in Hong Kong protesting a controversial
   bill allowing extradition to mainland China broke through tempered
   glass and charged into the city's legislative chamber. They defaced
   officials' portraits and spray-painted anti-government graffiti. Police
   gave the protesters until midnight to leave, or be expelled by force.

   Most protesters left, but four refused. Then, just before midnight,
   several people rushed into the chambers, shouting, "We leave together!
   We leave together!" They pulled away those remaining inside.

   That act, more than the broken glass and graffiti, has knit together
   the anti-government movement in Hong Kong and sustained a protest
   effort that has seen massive crowds for weeks. The unofficial policy of
   the campaign -- "no division" -- is a sharp contrast from the 2014
   democracy campaign that dissolved into bitter fights that left the
   opposition camp fractured.

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