1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,566 JUDY WOODRUFF: People in Hong Kong will vote on Sunday for members of the District Council. 2 00:00:04,566 --> 00:00:08,466 That's a body that usually focuses on local community issues. 3 00:00:08,466 --> 00:00:12,666 But because this is the first election since the beginning of protests that have gripped 4 00:00:12,666 --> 00:00:17,666 Hong Kong since May, Sunday's vote could show just how much support the demonstrators have 5 00:00:18,633 --> 00:00:20,333 built. 6 00:00:20,333 --> 00:00:24,233 Special correspondent Divya Gopalan is in Hong Kong and has the story. 7 00:00:24,233 --> 00:00:29,233 DIVYA GOPALAN: Over the past week, some of the most dramatic clashes between police and 8 00:00:30,900 --> 00:00:34,066 protesters took place at some of Hong Kong's leading universities. 9 00:00:34,066 --> 00:00:39,033 Nearly 1,000 people barricaded themselves in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus, 10 00:00:40,966 --> 00:00:45,533 bricks, Molotov cocktails, stones catapulted and even bows and arrows pit against tear 11 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:51,366 gas, rubber bullets, water cannon and sponge grenades. 12 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,766 And while students and police fight in the hearts of the city's financial district, an 13 00:00:56,766 --> 00:00:59,433 almost daily routine unfolds. 14 00:00:59,433 --> 00:01:04,400 Mass protesters face off against police on streets flanked by luxury shops, banks and 15 00:01:06,033 --> 00:01:08,600 international companies just around the corner from the stock exchange. 16 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:13,433 Despite the escalation in violence, there's still widespread support for the young protesters. 17 00:01:15,366 --> 00:01:20,100 For more than a week now, every lunchtime, office workers swarm the heart of Hong Kong's 18 00:01:20,100 --> 00:01:24,166 financial center, bringing the city to a standstill. 19 00:01:24,166 --> 00:01:26,533 They chant popular protest slogans. 20 00:01:26,533 --> 00:01:31,033 And they say they want to highlight what's perceived as police brutality and the excessive 21 00:01:31,766 --> 00:01:33,800 force used by police. 22 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:38,233 Parts of the outrage on the streets is due to the fact that Beijing is seen as having 23 00:01:40,333 --> 00:01:43,533 backtracked on its promises to allow the Hong Kong people to directly choose their leader. 24 00:01:45,533 --> 00:01:48,733 Currently, a committee representing various sectors of industry, the legislative council 25 00:01:50,766 --> 00:01:54,033 and interest groups vote for the chief executive, who's then endorsed by the Communist Party. 26 00:01:55,966 --> 00:01:59,633 But, this weekend, Hong Kongers will be able to express their discontent at the ballot 27 00:01:59,633 --> 00:02:02,366 box at the District Council elections. 28 00:02:02,366 --> 00:02:06,466 Local district councillors to usually deal with community issues, and they don't wield 29 00:02:06,466 --> 00:02:11,466 much power, but they could impact the makeup of Hong Kong's government, as councillors 30 00:02:13,433 --> 00:02:15,833 hold nearly 10 percent of the seats in the committee that will eventually choose the 31 00:02:15,833 --> 00:02:17,900 city's leader. 32 00:02:17,900 --> 00:02:22,333 This year, it's seen as a barometer of how much the wider population supports the protest 33 00:02:22,333 --> 00:02:24,700 movement. 34 00:02:24,700 --> 00:02:29,700 For the first time ever, each of the 400-plus seats is hotly contested. 35 00:02:31,166 --> 00:02:34,100 A record number of people have registered to vote. 36 00:02:34,100 --> 00:02:38,766 And there has been a surge in candidates, with 20 percent of them running for the first 37 00:02:38,766 --> 00:02:43,366 time, with most of the candidates are presenting the interests of the protesters or the Hong 38 00:02:43,366 --> 00:02:45,400 Kong government. 39 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:46,900 HO TSZ-CHUNG, District Council Elections Candidate (through translator): I wish to represent 40 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:48,866 both the citizens and the protesters in the government. 41 00:02:48,866 --> 00:02:51,866 DIVYA GOPALAN: It's been a long road for 22-year-old Ho Tsz-Chung. 42 00:02:51,866 --> 00:02:56,833 He has been joining pro-democracy protests since he was 17 and has taken part in this 43 00:02:58,033 --> 00:02:59,900 movement since it started in June. 44 00:02:59,900 --> 00:03:03,866 But, in September, he was arrested after a confrontation with the police. 45 00:03:03,866 --> 00:03:05,933 They have yet to charge him. 46 00:03:05,933 --> 00:03:10,433 His father's kicked him out of his home for his activism and now feels that the street 47 00:03:10,433 --> 00:03:12,800 protests haven't been able to achieve enough. 48 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,566 So he's taking a different approach by working within the system. 49 00:03:16,566 --> 00:03:20,366 HO TSZ-CHUNG (through translator): I want to try to broaden the battle line for the 50 00:03:20,366 --> 00:03:22,333 resistance. 51 00:03:22,333 --> 00:03:25,300 I believe that if there is only resistance on the streets, we won't be able to win this 52 00:03:25,300 --> 00:03:27,333 fight. 53 00:03:27,333 --> 00:03:29,366 So I believe that only by going through the district council can we defeat this government. 54 00:03:29,366 --> 00:03:31,466 I love Hong Kong. 55 00:03:31,466 --> 00:03:35,833 I don't want it to be like the rest of China, the place with no democracy, no freedom, no 56 00:03:35,833 --> 00:03:37,866 culture, and no human rights. 57 00:03:37,866 --> 00:03:42,333 DIVYA GOPALAN: For U.K. educator Jason Chong, working within the system means understanding 58 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:45,866 and accepting that Hong Kong is part of China. 59 00:03:45,866 --> 00:03:50,800 The 28-year-old aspiring politician has joined one of Hong Kong's most established pro-Beijing 60 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,700 party and was inspired to run in these elections because of the unrest. 61 00:03:54,700 --> 00:03:57,600 JASON CHONG, District Council Elections Candidate: Some of the youngsters, They misunderstood 62 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:00,333 what freedom and democracy means. 63 00:04:00,333 --> 00:04:05,266 If they're really tracing for a strong democratic city, they go and vote. 64 00:04:08,300 --> 00:04:10,966 Destroying anything opportunity help at all. 65 00:04:10,966 --> 00:04:15,966 Destroying the facilities against the government in this violent way is not the right path. 66 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,966 DIVYA GOPALAN: The district council elections is the only time Hong Kong people will get 67 00:04:20,966 --> 00:04:23,700 to directly choose who represents them. 68 00:04:23,700 --> 00:04:28,700 It is one man, one vote, which is why it is being given so much importance this year. 69 00:04:29,833 --> 00:04:32,833 But not everyone is free to run for office. 70 00:04:32,833 --> 00:04:37,133 One candidate is barred from running, democracy activist Joshua Wong. 71 00:04:37,133 --> 00:04:41,933 The Hong Kong election officials say it's because he still believes independence could 72 00:04:41,933 --> 00:04:46,900 be an option for Hong Kong's future, which goes against the city's constitution. 73 00:04:46,900 --> 00:04:51,900 But Hong Kong's highest-profile activist says that even this election has been influenced 74 00:04:52,766 --> 00:04:54,700 by China's communist government. 75 00:04:54,700 --> 00:04:58,333 JOSHUA WONG, Pro-Democracy Activist: With my international advocacy, Beijing hoped to 76 00:04:58,333 --> 00:05:02,766 ignore my words and to restrict me to enter the institution. 77 00:05:02,766 --> 00:05:07,766 DIVYA GOPALAN: Twenty-three-year-old Joshua Wong started pushing for democratic reform 78 00:05:10,100 --> 00:05:12,766 in the city as a teenager, spearheading the landmark pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in 79 00:05:12,766 --> 00:05:14,200 2014. 80 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:18,166 He spent time in jail on charges related to those protests. 81 00:05:18,166 --> 00:05:22,433 He is considered to be one of Hong Kong's first political prisoners. 82 00:05:22,433 --> 00:05:26,533 He has remained at the forefront of the latest protest movement, calling for international 83 00:05:26,533 --> 00:05:29,766 attention to the situation in Hong Kong. 84 00:05:29,766 --> 00:05:34,000 Wong and team of democracy activists have been lobbying the U.S. Congress to hold officials 85 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:38,400 in mainland China and Hong Kong to account for human rights abuses. 86 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,033 The bill was passed this week. 87 00:05:41,033 --> 00:05:45,166 JOSHUA WONG: Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act is the act that was -- sanctioned individuals 88 00:05:47,633 --> 00:05:51,700 who suppress on Hong Kong people's human rights, including government officials, police force, 89 00:05:53,566 --> 00:05:57,433 and also the election officers that apply political censorship and with their abuse 90 00:05:58,033 --> 00:06:00,133 of power. 91 00:06:00,133 --> 00:06:04,833 DIVYA GOPALAN: Thousands of people matched to the U.S. Consulate in September to call 92 00:06:09,833 --> 00:06:14,833 on Congress to push the bill through at a time of confrontation between Beijing and 93 00:06:16,300 --> 00:06:18,500 Washington, with the two sides in the middle of a trade war. 94 00:06:18,500 --> 00:06:23,500 Both Beijing and the Hong Kong government denounced the U.S. move. 95 00:06:26,233 --> 00:06:30,966 Regina Ip, the former secretary for security of Hong Kong and a current Cabinet member, 96 00:06:30,966 --> 00:06:35,933 says the move could backfire, adversely affecting U.S.-Hong Kong trade and diplomatic relations. 97 00:06:35,933 --> 00:06:39,466 REGINA IP, Member, Legislative Council: Beijing has said there will be countermeasures. 98 00:06:39,466 --> 00:06:41,700 Hong Kong might take countermeasures. 99 00:06:41,700 --> 00:06:46,700 If they impose sanctions on people in charge, quite unnecessarily, totally unwarranted, 100 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,233 we might have to take countermeasures. 101 00:06:52,233 --> 00:06:56,633 DIVYA GOPALAN: The authorities have tried to quell the unrest by using a colonial era 102 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:01,700 emergency measure to ban face masks, which had become a symbol of the leaderless movement. 103 00:07:04,033 --> 00:07:06,500 This week, the high court overturned that ruling, saying it was unconstitutional, according 104 00:07:06,500 --> 00:07:09,000 to Hong Kong's basic law. 105 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:13,266 But the Chinese government waded in, saying the court's ruling was a blatant challenge 106 00:07:13,266 --> 00:07:18,133 to their authority and that only they had the right to decide on issues regarding the 107 00:07:18,133 --> 00:07:20,300 constitution. 108 00:07:20,300 --> 00:07:23,933 So now the courts have reinstated the ban for seven days, until the Hong Kong government 109 00:07:23,933 --> 00:07:25,866 can appeal the ruling. 110 00:07:25,866 --> 00:07:28,333 ANSON CHAN, Former Chief Secretary of Hong Kong: Who will ever believe that our courts 111 00:07:28,333 --> 00:07:30,433 in Hong Kong are independent? 112 00:07:30,433 --> 00:07:35,366 As chief secretary, Anson Chan oversaw the transition of Hong Kong from a British colony 113 00:07:35,366 --> 00:07:39,300 to special administrative region, or SAR, of China. 114 00:07:39,300 --> 00:07:43,533 And she says it's this kind of interference by the Chinese government that has angered 115 00:07:43,533 --> 00:07:46,066 many people in Hong Kong. 116 00:07:46,066 --> 00:07:49,966 ANSON CHAN: This protest movement is not about overthrowing the SAR government or the central 117 00:07:50,566 --> 00:07:52,566 government. 118 00:07:52,566 --> 00:07:56,400 It is about reminding the central government, you promised Hong Kong people a high degree 119 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,000 of autonomy. 120 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,166 And you must stick to these promises. 121 00:08:01,166 --> 00:08:05,600 DIVYA GOPALAN: The Beijing government says it's living up to its commitment to provide 122 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:08,066 autonomy to Hong Kong. 123 00:08:08,066 --> 00:08:12,966 And while Sunday's elections are seen as important, the results are not likely to quell the crisis 124 00:08:13,700 --> 00:08:15,233 gripping the city. 125 00:08:15,233 --> 00:08:17,133 For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Divya Gopalan in Hong Kong.