Hong Kong Democracy Activist Joshua Wong Is Barred From Election

Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong has been barred from standing in upcoming local elections after the city was rocked by months of huge and frequently violent protests.
Authorities said Wong was disqualified because his ideologies support Hong Kong's independence from China - to which Mr Wong denied.
The news came as the city's leader Carrie Lam ruled out political solutions for the unrest until violence ends.

Her comments are likely to anger demonstrators further.
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Joshua Wong (pictured) has been barred from standing in Hong Kong local elections after authorities deemed that his ideologies support the city's independence from China
Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong speaks to the media outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong after learning he had been barred from standing in upcoming local elections
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Mr Wong, one of the most prominent figures in the otherwise leaderless movement, kinh nghiệm đi cửu trại câu accused the government of 'political screening' after an election officer ruled invalid his nomination for the November poll.
The 23-year-old was sent to prison earlier this year over the democracy protests he helped lead in 2014.

He immediately joined the historic anti-government protests rocking the city upon his release in June.
He is the secretary-general of the city's pro-democracy party Demosistō. 
Mr Wong was the only candidate barred from standing in an election for district councils, which tackle regional issues.

The election is the first to be held since the current mass protests started.
Mr Wong is one of the most prominent figures in the otherwise leaderless movement that has gripped Hong Kong for more than four months.

He was sent to prison earlier this year
Joshua Wong (centre) and other activists from Hong Kong's pro-democracy party Demosistō arrive at a press conference outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. 'The decision to ban me from running for office was clearly politically driven,' Mr Wong told the press today
He accused the government of censorship in disqualifying him.
'The decision to ban me from running for office was clearly politically driven,' he told a press conference on Tuesday.
'The true reason is my identity, Joshua Wong, is the crime in their minds.'
He also accused the election officer of misinterpreting his political ideology.
'This says that the disqualification was simply a hard order from Beijing, a political mission handed down from Beijing.'
The election officer wrote in her reasoning that Mr Wong's concept of self-determination does not rule out the independence of Hong Kong as an option, which she deemed inconsistent with the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution.
Mr Wong and his party, Demosistō, have denied supporting independence for the city.
They advocate self-determination and a referendum for Hong Kong people to decide how they want to be governed.
A protester throws a tear gas canister during a demonstration in Hong Kong on Sunday.

The Asian financial hub has sunk into recession after being hit by more than four months of unrest
Riot police hold their weapons as they try to disperse an anti-government protest in Tsim Sha Tsui on Sunday.

The city's Financial Secretary said its economy was unlikely to grow this year 
Any talk of independence incenses Beijing as Chinese President Xi Jinping increasingly emphasises the importance of territorial integrity.
A Hong Kong government spokesman said Tuesday that the administration supported the decision, and denied any political censorship.
'There is no question of any political censorship, restriction of the freedom of speech or deprivation of the right to stand for elections as alleged by some members of the community.'
'The candidate cannot possibly comply with the requirements of the relevant electoral laws,' the spokesman added.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) stands next to Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong during a news conference on human right in the Chinese-ruled city in Washington on September 18
Hong Kong has been battered by nearly five months of pro-democracy protests which Beijing and its local leaders have taken a hard line against.
Millions have hit the streets, with hardcore activists clashing repeatedly with police in the biggest challenge to China's rule since the city's handover from Britain in 1997.
The city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said there would be no political solution until the violent protests gripping the semi-autonomous Chinese territory end.
'For the government to resort to measures that will appease the violent rioters, I don't think that is the solution,' Mrs Lam told reporters.
'Until and kynghidongduong.vn unless we tackle the violence and put an end to it, it is very difficult to continue the political dialogue we have done,' Mrs Lam said.
The city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said there would be no political solution until the violent protests end. 'For the government to resort to measures that will appease the violent rioters, I don't think that is the solution,' Mrs Lam told reporters
Riot police stand off against protesters during a demonstration against alleged police brutality on Sunday. Hong Kong has been battered by nearly five months of pro-democracy protests
Members of media gather in front of police cordon in Mong Kok district on Sunday. The decision to disqualify Mr Wong has sparked criticism that it could intensify the protests
Mr Wong is one of the best-known pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong today after becoming the poster child of the huge pro-democracy 'Umbrella Movement' protests of 2014 that failed to win any concessions from Beijing.
The decision to disqualify Mr Wong has sparked criticism that it could intensify the ongoing protests.
'When you keep rigging the only - and lowest level - elections on offer, you're going to make many in #HongKong...

conclude that the only way to be heard is on the streets,' Maya Wang, Senior China Researcher for Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter.
Pro-democracy activists Agnes Chow (left) and Joshua Wong (right) speak to the press after they were released on bail at the Eastern Magistrates Courts in Hong Kong on August 30.

Mr Wong was sent to prison earlier this year over the democracy protests he helped lead in 2014
Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leader also warned today that the city's economy could end the year in recession.
Mrs Lam said the city's economic woes cannot be fixed unless there is an end to chaos.
'If this quarter's growth rate, compared to the second quarter's growth rate, is negative, it will be the second decline in a row.

Then it can be said that we have entered a technical recession,' she said.
The economy could end up contracting for the full year, she said.
The pro-democracy camp could secure 117 seats on the 1,200-strong committee that chooses the city's leader if they win a majority in the district council elections, which have no power to pass legally binding motions.
In 2016 and 2017, the city's courts ousted six pro-democracy lawmakers, including Demosisto member Nathan Law, for breaches of their swearing-in ceremony and oaths of allegiance, a move backed by Beijing.
Last year, Agnes Chow, another young pro-democracy leader from Mr Wong's party, was barred from standing in by-elections because her party advocates self-determination for Hong Kong.