1 July 2019, Hong Kong
On 1 July, after months of anti-government protests, protesters stormed Hong Kong's Legislative Council building. Inside, one protester, Brian Leung Kai-ping, removed his face mask and addressed the crowd with an impassioned plea to remain and occupy the legislative chamber. Leung's plea was ultimately unsuccessful: protesters abandoned the building in the face of an approaching police clearance operation. However his courage in removing his mask, thereby exposing himself to almost certain arrest, became the emotional high point of the night and remains a key symbolic moment in the months of ongoing protests. Leung is now in exile in the USA.
Some people broke into the legislative council building (LegCo), in spite of the risks to their lives, pathed the way for us to come inside.
If we retreat, we will become the rioters tomorrow as TVB would coin us.
They will be filming the destruction and mess in the LegCo building, condemning us as rioters.
Thus, now we cannot be separated in this movement anymore.
If we are to win, we win it together. If lost, we lose ten years. Our entire civil society, would not recover from this the next ten years.
Our students would be arrested. Our leaders would be arrested.
So this time, if we are to win, we must win together.
If you could stay in the occupy, if you have considered carefully that you can stay in the occupy, join us to occupy here.
The more people we have here, the safer we will be.
The police cannot fire tear gas here, we will die from it. They cannot disperse 1,000 of us from here using batons. Right?
Let’s urge people outside who can join the occupy to come in and join us.
Because there is no return for us anymore, since we took this step. It cannot be a flash mob anymore. This moment, we are not doing a flash mob. Because it is a once in a lifetime chance to occupy the Legislative Council.
We’re at the point of no return.
So if you have the ability, stay and occupy here.
If not, you can surround the LegCo in a peaceful manner, using your body to protect us, okay?
We cannot lose anymore.
If we go back and sleep in an air conned room tonight , tomorrow morning nothing would have happened in Hong Kong.
Sacrifices made the past month would be in vain.
Do we want the three lost lives, the blood and sweat we shed for many days, to be wasted for nothing?
We cannot lose anymore.
I urge students outside not have picnics anymore, do not do flash mobs anymore. Come in and join us in the occupy.
In the Sunflower Student Movement, after students occupied, adults, leaders advocating for peace, Legislative Council members, were at the entrance to protect us (them).
Therefore, we, as students, first, do not be distracted. We need to have enough brothers and sisters, enough friends, with the courage with the courage to come into this chamber together.
The more people we have, the safer it is here.
The reason why I remove my mask, is to let everyone know that we Hongkongers, have nothing more to lose.
HongKongers cannot lose anymore.
If we lose again, it’s ten years. Think about it, ten years.
Our civil society would sink to the bottom., the government then,
[I’m with you … ]
Bruin Leung was a guest on the Speakola podcast