WHY THEY HAVE NOT FAILED

THE PROTESTERS HAVE THE MORAL HIGH GROUND

In the face of Beijing, run by some of the world’s most ruthless politicians, and a local government largely seen as detached and incompetent, it was easy to be charmed by the protesters. They were rallying for democratic rights they believed are owed to their city — not the chaotic overthrow of the status quo .

Moreover, they practised non- violent civil disobedience . The protests were not going to loosen Beijing’s authoritarian grip over Hong Kong in the space of one week. But they did illustrate how tight and cruel that grip can be.

THE OCCUPATION LAID DOWN A MARKER

The protests were a shock to the system. Hong Kong sees marches and vigils every year . But the events of last week were unprecedented: protesters didn’t just march, they seized territory and shut down parts of the city. It turned into a landmark episode in Hong Kong’s political history. And it will have real effects: Even if he survives the protests, it’s possible Leung may be compelled to resign .

THE PROTESTS POLITICIZED A NEW GENERATION

The most memorable protest leader is 17- year- old Joshua Wong, who seemed to epitomize the sense of purpose voiced by many in Hong Kong’s new protest generation. “I’m organizing,” he explained to WorldViews last week, “because 30 years from now, I don’t want my own kid to be on the streets, fighting for democracy.”

Everywhere you looked at the height of the protests, you saw young students chanting, singing songs, passing around supplies, swapping stories, painting banners and sharing the moment together. The events of the past week will live long in their minds.

UNDERLYING PROBLEMS WILL NOT GO AWAY

And they’ll have plenty of ammunition in the years and decades to come. Hong Kong’s rowdy media and sophisticated civil society will not be so easily bent by Beijing’s agenda. Moreover, the protests weren’t just animated by the issue of elections and democracy. The students were launching attacks on the administration of their own city, a celebrated capital of global finance that happens also be one of the most unequal societies on the planet. The problems coming to the fore in Hong Kong — the poverty gap, the impossibility for many to own property — will be difficult to tackle. Hong Kong’s new army of dissidents will know when to fight their next battles.