WEBVTT 00:02.000 --> 00:04.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: People in Hong Kong will vote on Sunday for members of the District Council. 00:04.566 --> 00:08.466 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% That's a body that usually focuses on local community issues. 00:08.466 --> 00:12.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But because this is the first election since the beginning of protests that have gripped 00:12.666 --> 00:17.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Hong Kong since May, Sunday's vote could show just how much support the demonstrators have 00:18.633 --> 00:20.333 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% built. 00:20.333 --> 00:24.233 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Special correspondent Divya Gopalan is in Hong Kong and has the story. 00:24.233 --> 00:29.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DIVYA GOPALAN: Over the past week, some of the most dramatic clashes between police and 00:30.900 --> 00:34.066 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% protesters took place at some of Hong Kong's leading universities. 00:34.066 --> 00:39.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Nearly 1,000 people barricaded themselves in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus, 00:40.966 --> 00:45.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% bricks, Molotov cocktails, stones catapulted and even bows and arrows pit against tear 00:47.000 --> 00:51.366 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% gas, rubber bullets, water cannon and sponge grenades. 00:53.400 --> 00:56.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And while students and police fight in the hearts of the city's financial district, an 00:56.766 --> 00:59.433 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% almost daily routine unfolds. 00:59.433 --> 01:04.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Mass protesters face off against police on streets flanked by luxury shops, banks and 01:06.033 --> 01:08.600 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% international companies just around the corner from the stock exchange. 01:08.600 --> 01:13.433 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Despite the escalation in violence, there's still widespread support for the young protesters. 01:15.366 --> 01:20.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% For more than a week now, every lunchtime, office workers swarm the heart of Hong Kong's 01:20.100 --> 01:24.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% financial center, bringing the city to a standstill. 01:24.166 --> 01:26.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% They chant popular protest slogans. 01:26.533 --> 01:31.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% And they say they want to highlight what's perceived as police brutality and the excessive 01:31.766 --> 01:33.800 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% force used by police. 01:33.800 --> 01:38.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Parts of the outrage on the streets is due to the fact that Beijing is seen as having 01:40.333 --> 01:43.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% backtracked on its promises to allow the Hong Kong people to directly choose their leader. 01:45.533 --> 01:48.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% Currently, a committee representing various sectors of industry, the legislative council 01:50.766 --> 01:54.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and interest groups vote for the chief executive, who's then endorsed by the Communist Party. 01:55.966 --> 01:59.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But, this weekend, Hong Kongers will be able to express their discontent at the ballot 01:59.633 --> 02:02.366 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% box at the District Council elections. 02:02.366 --> 02:06.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Local district councillors to usually deal with community issues, and they don't wield 02:06.466 --> 02:11.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% much power, but they could impact the makeup of Hong Kong's government, as councillors 02:13.433 --> 02:15.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% hold nearly 10 percent of the seats in the committee that will eventually choose the 02:15.833 --> 02:17.900 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% city's leader. 02:17.900 --> 02:22.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% This year, it's seen as a barometer of how much the wider population supports the protest 02:22.333 --> 02:24.700 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% movement. 02:24.700 --> 02:29.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% For the first time ever, each of the 400-plus seats is hotly contested. 02:31.166 --> 02:34.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% A record number of people have registered to vote. 02:34.100 --> 02:38.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And there has been a surge in candidates, with 20 percent of them running for the first 02:38.766 --> 02:43.366 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% time, with most of the candidates are presenting the interests of the protesters or the Hong 02:43.366 --> 02:45.400 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Kong government. 02:45.400 --> 02:46.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% HO TSZ-CHUNG, District Council Elections Candidate (through translator): I wish to represent 02:46.900 --> 02:48.866 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% both the citizens and the protesters in the government. 02:48.866 --> 02:51.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DIVYA GOPALAN: It's been a long road for 22-year-old Ho Tsz-Chung. 02:51.866 --> 02:56.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% He has been joining pro-democracy protests since he was 17 and has taken part in this 02:58.033 --> 02:59.900 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% movement since it started in June. 02:59.900 --> 03:03.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But, in September, he was arrested after a confrontation with the police. 03:03.866 --> 03:05.933 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% They have yet to charge him. 03:05.933 --> 03:10.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% His father's kicked him out of his home for his activism and now feels that the street 03:10.433 --> 03:12.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% protests haven't been able to achieve enough. 03:12.800 --> 03:16.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So he's taking a different approach by working within the system. 03:16.566 --> 03:20.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% HO TSZ-CHUNG (through translator): I want to try to broaden the battle line for the 03:20.366 --> 03:22.333 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% resistance. 03:22.333 --> 03:25.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I believe that if there is only resistance on the streets, we won't be able to win this 03:25.300 --> 03:27.333 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% fight. 03:27.333 --> 03:29.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So I believe that only by going through the district council can we defeat this government. 03:29.366 --> 03:31.466 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% I love Hong Kong. 03:31.466 --> 03:35.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I don't want it to be like the rest of China, the place with no democracy, no freedom, no 03:35.833 --> 03:37.866 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% culture, and no human rights. 03:37.866 --> 03:42.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DIVYA GOPALAN: For U.K. educator Jason Chong, working within the system means understanding 03:43.500 --> 03:45.866 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and accepting that Hong Kong is part of China. 03:45.866 --> 03:50.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% The 28-year-old aspiring politician has joined one of Hong Kong's most established pro-Beijing 03:50.800 --> 03:54.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% party and was inspired to run in these elections because of the unrest. 03:54.700 --> 03:57.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JASON CHONG, District Council Elections Candidate: Some of the youngsters, They misunderstood 03:57.600 --> 04:00.333 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% what freedom and democracy means. 04:00.333 --> 04:05.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% If they're really tracing for a strong democratic city, they go and vote. 04:08.300 --> 04:10.966 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Destroying anything opportunity help at all. 04:10.966 --> 04:15.966 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Destroying the facilities against the government in this violent way is not the right path. 04:18.000 --> 04:20.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DIVYA GOPALAN: The district council elections is the only time Hong Kong people will get 04:20.966 --> 04:23.700 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to directly choose who represents them. 04:23.700 --> 04:28.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It is one man, one vote, which is why it is being given so much importance this year. 04:29.833 --> 04:32.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But not everyone is free to run for office. 04:32.833 --> 04:37.133 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% One candidate is barred from running, democracy activist Joshua Wong. 04:37.133 --> 04:41.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The Hong Kong election officials say it's because he still believes independence could 04:41.933 --> 04:46.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% be an option for Hong Kong's future, which goes against the city's constitution. 04:46.900 --> 04:51.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But Hong Kong's highest-profile activist says that even this election has been influenced 04:52.766 --> 04:54.700 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% by China's communist government. 04:54.700 --> 04:58.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JOSHUA WONG, Pro-Democracy Activist: With my international advocacy, Beijing hoped to 04:58.333 --> 05:02.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% ignore my words and to restrict me to enter the institution. 05:02.766 --> 05:07.766 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% DIVYA GOPALAN: Twenty-three-year-old Joshua Wong started pushing for democratic reform 05:10.100 --> 05:12.766 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% in the city as a teenager, spearheading the landmark pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in 05:12.766 --> 05:14.200 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% 2014. 05:14.200 --> 05:18.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% He spent time in jail on charges related to those protests. 05:18.166 --> 05:22.433 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% He is considered to be one of Hong Kong's first political prisoners. 05:22.433 --> 05:26.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% He has remained at the forefront of the latest protest movement, calling for international 05:26.533 --> 05:29.766 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% attention to the situation in Hong Kong. 05:29.766 --> 05:34.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Wong and team of democracy activists have been lobbying the U.S. Congress to hold officials 05:34.000 --> 05:38.400 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% in mainland China and Hong Kong to account for human rights abuses. 05:38.400 --> 05:41.033 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% The bill was passed this week. 05:41.033 --> 05:45.166 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% JOSHUA WONG: Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act is the act that was -- sanctioned individuals 05:47.633 --> 05:51.700 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% who suppress on Hong Kong people's human rights, including government officials, police force, 05:53.566 --> 05:57.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and also the election officers that apply political censorship and with their abuse 05:58.033 --> 06:00.133 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% of power. 06:00.133 --> 06:04.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DIVYA GOPALAN: Thousands of people matched to the U.S. Consulate in September to call 06:09.833 --> 06:14.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% on Congress to push the bill through at a time of confrontation between Beijing and 06:16.300 --> 06:18.500 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Washington, with the two sides in the middle of a trade war. 06:18.500 --> 06:23.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Both Beijing and the Hong Kong government denounced the U.S. move. 06:26.233 --> 06:30.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Regina Ip, the former secretary for security of Hong Kong and a current Cabinet member, 06:30.966 --> 06:35.933 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% says the move could backfire, adversely affecting U.S.-Hong Kong trade and diplomatic relations. 06:35.933 --> 06:39.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% REGINA IP, Member, Legislative Council: Beijing has said there will be countermeasures. 06:39.466 --> 06:41.700 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Hong Kong might take countermeasures. 06:41.700 --> 06:46.700 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% If they impose sanctions on people in charge, quite unnecessarily, totally unwarranted, 06:50.200 --> 06:52.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% we might have to take countermeasures. 06:52.233 --> 06:56.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DIVYA GOPALAN: The authorities have tried to quell the unrest by using a colonial era 06:58.600 --> 07:01.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% emergency measure to ban face masks, which had become a symbol of the leaderless movement. 07:04.033 --> 07:06.500 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% This week, the high court overturned that ruling, saying it was unconstitutional, according 07:06.500 --> 07:09.000 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to Hong Kong's basic law. 07:09.000 --> 07:13.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But the Chinese government waded in, saying the court's ruling was a blatant challenge 07:13.266 --> 07:18.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to their authority and that only they had the right to decide on issues regarding the 07:18.133 --> 07:20.300 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% constitution. 07:20.300 --> 07:23.933 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% So now the courts have reinstated the ban for seven days, until the Hong Kong government 07:23.933 --> 07:25.866 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% can appeal the ruling. 07:25.866 --> 07:28.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% ANSON CHAN, Former Chief Secretary of Hong Kong: Who will ever believe that our courts 07:28.333 --> 07:30.433 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% in Hong Kong are independent? 07:30.433 --> 07:35.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% As chief secretary, Anson Chan oversaw the transition of Hong Kong from a British colony 07:35.366 --> 07:39.300 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% to special administrative region, or SAR, of China. 07:39.300 --> 07:43.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And she says it's this kind of interference by the Chinese government that has angered 07:43.533 --> 07:46.066 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% many people in Hong Kong. 07:46.066 --> 07:49.966 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% ANSON CHAN: This protest movement is not about overthrowing the SAR government or the central 07:50.566 --> 07:52.566 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% government. 07:52.566 --> 07:56.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It is about reminding the central government, you promised Hong Kong people a high degree 07:57.000 --> 07:59.000 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% of autonomy. 07:59.000 --> 08:01.166 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And you must stick to these promises. 08:01.166 --> 08:05.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DIVYA GOPALAN: The Beijing government says it's living up to its commitment to provide 08:05.600 --> 08:08.066 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% autonomy to Hong Kong. 08:08.066 --> 08:12.966 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% And while Sunday's elections are seen as important, the results are not likely to quell the crisis 08:13.700 --> 08:15.233 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% gripping the city. 08:15.233 --> 08:17.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Divya Gopalan in Hong Kong.