Confrontation, state repression and the autonomy of metropolitan Hong Kong: The Umbrella Movement and the 1967 Riots compared

Political scientists have remained divided on the subject of the political disposition of Hong Kong people in colonial years. While Lau’s notion of “utilitarian familism” (1978) and King’s idea of “administrative absorption of politics” (1981) had been held as a template to understanding the political character of the local community in colonial Hong Kong, the validity of their general claim on the low level of political activism has been challenged by more recent works by Lam (2004 ), Scott (1989 ), Tsai (1993 ) and Chiu and Lui (2000 ). There is, nevertheless, a general consensus on the surge of interest in political participation in the post-1997 years. In fact, Hong Kong is dubbed as the city of protests with demonstrations, petitions and other forms of political articulation becoming more or less daily routines after the handover. While one can take these as positive signs of the growing vibrancy and maturity of civil society, there are concerns with the rising propensity of inflicting violence in the repertoire of protest. The appeal of tactics like disruption of traffic, breaking into government building as well as skirmishing with police have been growing in recent years. Confrontation has gradually emerged as a legitimate political discourse and a viable option of action and engagement in local scene.