Song that inspires Hong Kong demos
I AM delighted that Les Miserables lyricist Herbert Kretzmer supports protesters in Hong Kong who have adopted his song Do You Hear The People Sing? as their anthem (Mail). Even at the worst of times, music and words possess the power to unite people. Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich wrote Symphony No. 7 when Leningrad was besieged. Churchill made some of the most inspiring speeches of the 20th century during World War II. The national anthem Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika is a potent symbol of the new South Africa. In the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, we eyed each other under hard hats and behind masks. We would not have recognised one another the next day. But we were all companions singing the same music and sharing a passion to be free. Do You Hear The People Sing? gives us a united voice when we sing the words in pain, helplessness and sorrow. It gives us a licence to be courageous and to fight oppression. The lyrics transcend time and geography. It is not a song to be sung alone, and we will keep singing it until we get the freedom we deserve.
EMILY LAU, London EC4. THE Union Flag is seen at protests in Hong Kong because we remember that the British government offered safety and opportunities when our parents and grandparents fled from civil war and the Cultural Revolution in China. On the Hong Kong flag, the former colony’s emblem sits proudly alongside the Union Flag. We hoist these flags not to elicit feelings of solidarity from the British government, but as symbols of stability, equal opportunities, accountability (despite the lack of democratic elections) and freedom. I applaud Stephen Glover’s honesty in highlighting the British government’s habit of kowtowing to China. It was worse than naive to believe that under the rule of an authoritarian regime, the freedoms Hongkongers enjoyed before being handed over against their will would not be eroded. The British government has been submissive in exchange for trade and investments, especially after China has repeatedly called the Sino-British Joint Declaration a ‘historical document that is no longer valid’. I am proud that during the protests, my fellow Hongkongers stood together, shoulder to shoulder, in defence of their democratic rights.
PUI-YI CHAU, Kowloon, Hong Kong.