Frustration With Hong Kong Government Forced ‘More Dramatic’ Actions, Protester Says

A protester waves a "Black Bauhinia" flag as others set up barricades at Lung Wo road outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong before the flag raising ceremony to mark the 22nd anniversary of handover to China early on July 1, 2019. Vivek Prakash/AFP/Getty Images

Hong Kong protesters who staged a takeover of the city’s legislature building late on July 1 made global headlines, and were quickly condemned by the city government as “rioters.”

However, the young protesters who rammed through the Legislative Council’s (LegCo) glass doors and vandalized the building’s interior with slogans against the government and a controversial extradition bill are speaking out to explain their actions.