The world is watching: How Hong Kong protests were covered around the globe
Occupy Central protests in Hong Kong have made the front pages of newspapers around the world as the ranks of demonstrators swell and police fire tear gas.
With protests breaking out all over Hong Kong island and parts of Kowloon as the long-awaited Occupy Central civil disobedience movement finally got underway, one oft-repeated refrain by demonstrators was "the world is watching".
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The protests, in which police fired tear gas, pepper spray and baton-charged peaceful demonstrators, certainly got the attention participants' were hoping for, making front pages around the globe.
The Wall Street Journal covered Occupy Central on its Asia front page with extensive reporting from its large Hong Kong bureau. The Journal also published an editorial calling on the world to support the protesters:
"The confrontation marks a turning point in the city's quest for democracy. For years the people of Hong Kong avoided direct conflict with Beijing in the hope that Chinese authorities might be persuaded to grant them self-government. Now they realize that their only chance for democracy is to demand it," it said.
"Xi Jinping pushed Hong Kong to this point. A July white paper was the first clear indication that the supreme leader would take a harder line. China withdrew the autonomy that it had promised Hong Kong for 50 years as part of the agreement when Britain handed back its territory in 1997, saying the local government is subordinate to Beijing's 'comprehensive authority.'"
