The 2019 Hong Kong protests, explained in 30 seconds
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Here's a 30-second explanation of what's going on:
Protests erupted in Hong Kong in June over a proposed extradition bill by which Hong Kong residents would be tried in mainland China. Hong Kong is a semiautonomous region of China with its own legal system; the proposed bill would have changed that arrangement.
Though the bill was pulled in September, student-led protests continue. Protests have since grown to encompass general displeasure with the current government and a call for democratic changes.
US companies, executives, and even cartoons have gotten involved in the protests
- NBA: General manager of the Houston Rockets Daryl Morey, tweeted his support of the Hong Kong protests. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in response to backlash that he would not censor statements by NBA employees. Consequently, all of the NBA's official Chinese partners have suspended ties with the league.
- Activision Blizzard: The video game company suspended esports player Chung Ng Wai ("Blitzchung") for voicing support of the protests, saying he violated its rule against players coming into public dispute, offending the public, and/or damaging Blizzard's image.
- Apple: HKMap Live, an app that allowed Hong Kong protesters to track the police, was approved by Apple on October 9 and then removed from the App Store within 24 hours. Apple CEO Tim Cook defended the decision in a memo to Apple employees, writing that the app was being used to "maliciously target individual officers for violence."
- "South Park": China banned the Comedy Central cartoon after its 299th episode, "Band in China," aired on October 2. It mocked Hollywood's submission to the country. In response, "South Park" declared "F---" the Chinese government" in its 300th episode, and the show's creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker published a mock apology.
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Now, here's a 5-minute explanation of the events since June, via a timeline of our past coverage:
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