They recognized then that under future Chinese rule, only genuine democracy might safeguard the institutions that protected Hong Kong’s freedoms. Without any significant say in how they were to be governed, Hong Kong’s citizens would be at the mercy of China’s leaders.
1989年让如此多的香港人行动起来的并不仅仅是人道主义暴行。当时他们意识到，在未来的中国统治下，只有真正的民主能捍卫保护香港自由的机构。没有在关于他们如何被治理的问题上的话语权，香港公民就会成为中国领导人板上的鱼肉。