• Asia.The tear gas returns to the streets of Hong Kong after a new protest
  • Hong Kong, one of Hong Kong's most prominent prodemocratic activists.

Joshua picks up the pissed off phone. Ask us to follow your comments carefully on your Twitter account. And, before hanging up, he releases the same phrase he has repeated over and over again in the last hours: " My crime is simple, my name is Joshua Wong ."

This 23-year-old, born nine months before the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty over Hong Kong to China , has been 21 weeks in a row being the visible face of protests in the former British colony. The lights constantly look for him. And he is left wanting to present himself in each interview as a "pro-democracy activist" and as general secretary and co-founder of the Demosisto party . Now he returns to hoard the covers of the Chinese media after the Hong Kong authorities vetoed him - and disqualified - as a candidate for the next local elections in the financial city to be held on November 24.

Wong, as usual, was quick to respond: "I become the only candidate - of the more than 1,100 people who have appeared - who have been banned from participating in the District Council elections . The decision to forbid me from directing a position is clearly driven by politics. " And he continued pointing directly to the giant's capital led by Xi Jinping. "Beijing exerted extremely strong pressure on the Hong Kong government officials who are responsible for deciding my candidacy."

The young activist did not hesitate to point out who he considered responsible for his veto through his speaker (Twitter) with more than 413,000 followers. And the Hong Kong authorities defended themselves claiming that their decision was based on the right of self-determination that Joshua Wong demands for the city undermines the Basic Law that governs this Special Autonomous Region of China . "The candidate does not meet the requirements of the electoral laws and defending or promoting self-determination is contrary to what is required of a candidate," justified Laura Liang Aron, a spokesman for the Government. Just a few days ago, during President Xi Jinping's visit to Nepal , the Chinese president left a message with enough intentions . "Whoever is free to separatism in any region of China will be reduced to dust and shattered," he said.

After knowing Wong's disqualification, the media directed from Beijing took the opportunity to criticize the "independence position" of the activist . Although Wong has always made it clear that neither he nor his party promotes or supports independence as an option of self-determination. "My idea is that of a non-binding referendum so that people can comment on the future of Hong Kong," he says. In his defense several American politicians came out on social networks criticizing the decision to ban the candidacy. The most blunt was Rick Scott, Republican senator and former governor of Florida. " Prohibiting participation in elections that are already manipulated by Beijing is a sign of the weakness and fear of communist China ," he wrote. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization has also urged the Hong Kong Commission on Electoral Affairs to withdraw its decision to ban the activist's candidacy, pointing out that the ban violates fundamental rights to freedom of expression and to participate in elections legitimate.

The dialectical battle has continued in the networks. The last blow was launched from the account of the Central Commission for Political and Legal Affairs, Beijing's main political body for law and order, which accused the activist of " repeatedly receiving financial assistance from the United States " and of "working in the interest of Washington. "

It is not the first time that from outside Hong Kong it is pointed out that Wong is "bought by the Americans to destabilize China." An idea that the protagonist denies every time they have suggested it during these six months in which the financial capital has experienced the worst political crisis of the last 20 years. Protests in Hong Kong continue. And tomorrow is Halloween. Executive leader in the city, Carrie Lam, prohibited protesters from wearing masks under a resurrected emergency law of the British colonial era. Tomorrow many pro-democracy activists are planning to take the opportunity to surprise in new protests with clothing according to the holiday. They are warning you on the networks . Many will remember Joshua Wong, the 14-year-old boy who went out to protest on the street for the first time to become the speaker of those struggling to preserve Hong Kong's autonomy against China's tight control.

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