Symposium introduction: The Umbrella Movement and theology

• Main Author: TSE, Justin Kh
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2014
• Subjects: Asian Studies; Political Science; Religion
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3146
• Institution: Singapore Management University

On September 28, 2014, the Hong Kong protests took the Anglo-American world by surprise. Dubbed the “Umbrella Revolution” by western media, the student-initiated pro-democracy demonstrations are now being described as a “movement”—a fluid network of street occupations in Admiralty on Hong Kong Island and in Mong Kok in Kowloon where protesters have set up tents and come prepared to face tear gas and pepper spray with goggles, plastic wrap, and umbrellas. In the face of government stonewalling and popular opposition to the protests, the demonstrations show little sign of abating. Indeed, they have now entered into a new phase called the “Shopping Revolution,” where protesters claim that they are merely following the government’s encouragement to boost consumption in the occupied areas.