The Black Lives Matter and Hong Kong protestors share methods and a cause, but fail to unite

This appeared in The Millennial Source

The Black Lives Matter protests in the United States and the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have been met with militarized police responses, including the use of tear gas and heavily armed law enforcement.

These crackdowns have led activists in Hong Kong to share their methods for countering police actions, which BLM activists have begun to utilize.

But despite commonalities, the BLM movement has received a mixed reception in Hong Kong.

While some Hong Kong protestors have attempted to organize BLM protests, one of the most powerful pro-democracy voices in Hong Kong, Jimmy Lai, has denied any association between the movements, aligning instead with President Donald Trump and a far-right ideology often described as xenophobic.

Sharing protest methods

In Hong Kong, activists who want an autonomous Hong Kong unfettered by mainland China’s authority have regularly been met with tear gas. In response, protestors have adapted their methods to neutralize the chemical weapon.

On Twitter, users like @cuddlesjk have shared methods used by the protestors to protect…