I was quite shocked this morning when i read that the three activists Joshua Wong (24), Ivan Lam (26) and Agnes Chow (23) had been arrested to several months in prison.
The city of Hongkong was once a place of hope for people fleeing poverty, political persecution and war. Now, it looks like the opposite is true. Insofar, the title of this article should actually be “the change of the place of hope”.
With concern i watch how the situation in Hongkong has changed dramatically over the last few months, unfortunately not really for the better. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a political expert. I don’t know the history of the city well enough, nor do I know too many details that would be necessary to assess the situation between Hongkong and China. I just see these thousands of brave students who have taken to the streets for the past few years and fought for their goals and beliefs.
I was a part of them for a brief moment when I got caught in a protest by accident last november. That was almost a year ago to the day when the situation came to a head with the occupation of the Polytechnic University. But this evening sticks in my memory because these mostly young people seemed so determined and self-confident to me.
I never doubted their success for a moment. Sooner or later.
Also the organization of a Pride, which I happened to witness, and which is anything but common in such a way in large parts of Asia, had made me hopeful about the future of this city and maybe also the region.
And now I have been seeing the sad news from Hongkong for weeks and months and wonder what kind of state that should be, that treats its youth and its future in such a way. Or simply is not even listening to them… Maybe I’m naive and maybe a little clueless, but I’m hopeful that this generation will still find a way to bring a change and to regain their freedom…
“Even though we have tough days ahead of us, we won’t let it get us down,” shouts Joshua Wong, when he is led out of the courtroom.
Phanthomias 
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