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Propaganda

2025-08-30T00:37:26Z

194.230.146.211: Expanded on the current examples section by providing additional cases for reference

In common speech, '''propaganda''' is information of a biased or misleading nature meant to either rally support for or discredit a particular cause. The term's root comes from the Latin ''propaganda'', or ''to propagate''. Thus one can easily see the inherent character of disseminating propaganda to as many people as possible.

Propaganda is however a very nebulous term, as there is not really an objective way of classifying a piece of information as wilful propaganda (purposely biased and misleading), accidental propaganda (accidentally biased and misleading), or simply news. In essence, what is the difference between news and propaganda? This is why most marxist-leninists reject the use of the term as a pejorative, and consider instead that everything is propaganda and thus while being a loaded term, the word propaganda is not inherently negative.

Essentially, if propaganda is meant to manipulate opinion, how does it differ from "non-propaganda" news and media? If there is such a difference, then it would objectively make sense to differentiate the words. If there is no difference, as marxist-leninists believe, then all media is propaganda and the term is not inherently pejorative, but its perceived nature becomes a tool to readily discredit anything that does not align with corporate or state lines.

Marxist-leninists also use the term differently from liberals, due to the former's philosophy of [[materialism]]. Liberals believe ideas come before matter and thus ideas are the driver of change, which leads them to give properties to information that it does not actually possess, such as the idea that support for revolution (e.g. the [[American revolution|American Revolution]]) is won by convincing people of one's ideas and that it is possible to get someone to fight and die for a cause by simply providing the correct arguments or repeating them enough. In the materialist analysis, communists see that change is driven by material conditions and matter is what gives birth to ideas, and as such material conditions will dictate whether someone fights in the revolution or not (their [[Social class|class]] character, their wealth...)

In fact, the term used to simply refer to information that was meant to be propagated regardless of its nature or intent, as seen with the Ministry of Information in London during the [[Second World War]], which did not shy away from using the word, or with propaganda departments in major corporations -- Public Relations used to be called propaganda, owing mostly to the efforts of Edward Bernays who pioneered the practice.

In this sense propaganda is often linked with [[brainwashing]], a term invented by the CIA to discredit dissident soldiers during the [[Korean War]].

== Notable examples of propaganda ==

=== Past examples ===
* In October 1990, a 15 year old Kuwaiti girl testified before the US Congress about war crimes committed by Iraq, specifically that Iraqi forces savagely attacked a maternity ward. This testimony was then used to justify the [[Gulf War]] in the following year. In 1992, it was revealed that the girl was actually the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States and her testimony was fabricated by a "public relations" firm for a Kuwaiti interest group.
* In 2003, prior to the [[Iraq War]], the United States government accused Iraqi president [[Saddam Hussein]] of possessing weapons of mass destruction, throwing his opponents into an industrial shredder alive, and being involved in the [[9/11 attacks]]. None of these claims have ever been proven.<ref>{{Web citation|author=|newspaper=The Age|title=Iraq: how we were duped|date=02/07/2024|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/iraq-how-we-were-duped-20050514-ge05vq.html|archive-url=https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/iraq-weapons-of-mass-destruction-remembering-the-lies-of-wars-past/|retrieved=02/07/2024}}</ref><ref>{{Web citation|author=Tim Wheeler|newspaper=People's World|title=Iraq ‘weapons of mass destruction’: Remembering the lies of wars past|date=2024-02-05|url=https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/iraq-weapons-of-mass-destruction-remembering-the-lies-of-wars-past/|retrieved=02/07/2024}}</ref>

=== Current examples ===
* Western [[Imperial core|governments]] and [[Bourgeois media|media]] have used atrocity propaganda to claim that the [[Communist Party of China]] is conducting a "[[genocide]]" in the [[Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region]], in spite of a complete lack of evidence and the fact that the Uyghur population in China has been steadily growing. This is due to the perceived threat of [[China]]'s [[Belt and Road Initiative]] to western influence in the region.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Roderic Day and Nia Frome|newspaper=Red Sails|title=The Xinjiang Atrocity Propaganda Blitz (2021)|date=2021-03-22|url=https://redsails.org/the-xinjiang-atrocity-propaganda-blitz/|retrieved=02/07/2024}}</ref> Satellite images that the [[Australian Strategic Policy Institute]] falsely claimed as "evidence" of concentration camps have been debunked by the Global Times, which responded by providing on-site images of those locations using the same geographical coordinates. This revealed that the supposed "concentration camps" were in fact schools, logistics facilities, and a nursing home for the elderly.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Global Times|title=Xinjiang offers real-site photos to debunk satellite images ‘evidence’ of ‘detention centers’|date=2020-11-27|url=https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202011/1208288.shtml?utm_source=chatgpt.com|retrieved=2025-08-30}}</ref>
[[Category:Propaganda]]
<references />

Tenzin Gyatso

2025-08-29T15:21:55Z

194.230.146.211: Slight expansion of the Pre-Revolution section on the feudal theocratic regime

{{Infobox person|name=Tenzin Gyatso|native_name=ལྷ་མོ་དོན་འགྲུབ།|birth_name=Lhamo Thondup|birth_date=1935 July 6|birth_place=Taktser, Amdo, [[Tibet]]|image=Dalai Lama.png|image_size=200}}

'''Tenzin Gyatso''' (born 1935 July 6) is the 14th Dalai Lama and leader of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] and [[National Endowment for Democracy|NED]]-funded [[Central Tibetan Administration]].<ref name=":0">{{Web citation|date=2023-04-22|title=Dalai Lama’s abusive behavior nothing new|url=https://www.workers.org/2023/04/70505/|newspaper=[[Workers World]]|retrieved=2023-04-23|author=Arjae Red}}</ref> After the liberation of Tibet in 1951, he fled abroad. He was paid $180,000 a year by the CIA to be involved in operations against [[People's Republic of China|China]]<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=Covert Geopolitics|title=Mainstream Media Confirm Dalai Lama is A CIA Asset|date=2016-12-19|url=https://geopolitics.co/2016/12/19/mainstream-media-confirm-dalai-lama-is-a-cia-asset/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203170842/https://geopolitics.co/2016/12/19/mainstream-media-confirm-dalai-lama-is-a-cia-asset/|archive-date=2022-02-03|retrieved=2022-04-24}}</ref> and has been on the CIA's payroll since the 1950s.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=[[Liberation School]]|title=China, Tibet and U.S.-sponsored counterrevolution|date=2008-04-01|url=https://www.liberationschool.org/08-04-01-china-tibet-ussponsored-coun-html/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619132116/https://liberationschool.org/08-04-01-china-tibet-ussponsored-coun-html/|archive-date=2021-06-19|retrieved=2022-06-20}}</ref>

== Pre-revolution ==
Before the revolution, Tibet was a feudal theocratic state, with stark inequalities between the theocratic regime and the majority of the population.<ref>{{Video citation|url=https://youtu.be/9mp1gLNbTyA?t=410|channel=[BreakThrough News]|title=Dalai Lama Turns 90: The CIA’s Anti-China Campaign in Tibet|date=2025-July-15}}</ref> The Dalai Lama personally owned 6,000 [[Slavery|slaves]] and serfs and 27 estates.<ref name=":0" />

== Exile ==
In 1999, Tenzin Gyatso urged the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|British]] government not to try former [[Republic of Chile|Chilean]] dictator [[Augusto Pinochet]] for [[crimes against humanity]].<ref>{{News citation|author=[[Michael Parenti]]|newspaper=[[Red Sails]]|title=Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth (2007)|date=2020-12-26|url=https://redsails.org/friendly-feudalism/|retrieved=2022-04-24}}</ref> In February 2023, he sexually harassed and assaulted a young boy on video by asking him to suck on his tongue.<ref>{{News citation|author=Hannah Ellis-Petersen|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|title=Dalai Lama apologises after kissing boy and asking him to ‘suck my tongue’|date=2023-04-10|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/10/dalai-lama-apologises-kissing-boy-suck-his-tongue-video/|retrieved=2023-04-15}}</ref>

== References ==
[[Category:People's Republic of China]]
<references />
[[Category:Counterrevolutionaries]]
[[Category:CIA assets]]
[[Category:Slave owners]]

Roger Waters

2025-08-29T05:40:16Z

194.230.146.211: Added information on Western media propaganda against Waters for his political positions

{{Infobox person|name=Roger Waters|birth_place=Great Brookham, [[England]], [[United Kingdom]]|death_date=|birth_date=6 September 1943|image=Roger Waters.png|image_size=200}}

'''George Roger Waters''' (born 6 September 1943) is an [[Anti-imperialism|anti-imperialist]] musician from the United Kingdom.

Waters has been falsely accused of [[antisemitism]] due to his opposition to the [[State of Israel|Zionist occupation]] of [[State of Palestine|Palestine]] and support for the [[BDS]] campaign.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Jessica Buxbaum|newspaper=[[MintPress News]]|title=Roger Waters v. the Machine: Inside the Pink Floyd Frontman's Battle for Free Speech in Germany|url=https://www.mintpressnews.com/roger-waters-v-the-machine-inside-the-pink-floyd-frontmans-battle-for-free-speech-in-germany/284171/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329180704/https://www.mintpressnews.com/roger-waters-v-the-machine-inside-the-pink-floyd-frontmans-battle-for-free-speech-in-germany/284171/|archive-date=2023-03-29|retrieved=2023-03-30}}</ref> Journalist Caitlin Johnstone has noted that celebrities critical of [[Western imperialism]] have been aggressively targeted in disinformation campaigns by the [[Bourgeois media|mainstream media]], citing Roger Waters and actress Susan Sarandon as examples.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Caitlin Johnstone|newspaper=Medium|title=If You Buy Into The Anti-China Propaganda You’re Just A Stupid Asshole|date=2023-10-06|url=https://caityjohnstone.medium.com/if-you-buy-into-the-anti-china-propaganda-youre-just-a-stupid-asshole-3f7c7695ec02|retrieved=2025-08-29}}</ref>

== References ==
[[Category:Anti-imperialists]]

Homelessness

2025-08-24T07:09:11Z

194.230.146.211: Fixed references

{{Message box/regionalbias}}

'''Homelessness''' is the condition of lacking housing or adequate shelter.

==== In the United States ====
Homelessness is a major issue in the [[United States of America|United States]]. Despite over 17 million vacant homes, there are 3.5 million homeless people in the US each year.<ref name=":0">{{Web citation|author=Ben Becker|newspaper=[[Liberation School]]|title=A glut of homes in a sea of homelessness|date=2008-02-01|url=https://liberationschool.org/a-glut-of-homes-in-a-sea-of-homelessness/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922123021/https://liberationschool.org/a-glut-of-homes-in-a-sea-of-homelessness/|archive-date=2020-09-22|retrieved=2022-09-03}}</ref>

Between 2023 and 2024, official figures recorded an 18% increase in homelessness; however, actual numbers may be even higher due to underreporting.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=BBC|title=US homelessness hit record high in 2024|date=2024-12-28|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2vwdw7zn2o|retrieved=2025-08-24|quote=The US homeless population increased by more than 18% in a year... The figure is likely an undercount, as it does not include people temporarily staying with family and friends.}}</ref>

== References ==
[[Category:Social issues]]
<references />

New Cold War

2025-08-22T23:58:47Z

194.230.146.211: Added information about the Red Scare and its parallels with the current situation in the United States

[[File:New Cold War.png|thumb|539x539px|Blue: [[NATO]] and allies (black stripes for [[Settler colonialism|settler-colonies]])
 
Red: [[Actually Existing Socialism|AES]] and allies
 
Green: [[CSTO]] and allies
 
Yellow: [[Axis of Resistance]]
 
Purple: Other [[Anti-imperialism|anti-imperialist]] states ]]
The '''Second Cold War''', or '''New Cold War''', is a term used to describe conflicts and international tension that are reminiscent of the first [[Cold War]], particularly those seen between [[NATO]] and the [[People's Republic of China]] and [[Russian Federation]], along with their respective allies.<ref>[https://monthlyreview.org/2021/07/01/the-new-cold-war-on-china/ The New Cold War on China] by the [[Monthly Review]]</ref><ref>{{News citation|title=The second Cold War is here — and supply chains will be the front lines|url=https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-second-cold-war-is-here-and-supply-chains-will-be-the-front-lines|newspaper=Freight Waves}}</ref> Less than 15% of the world population supports the New Cold War.<ref>{{Web citation|author=[[Benjamin Norton]]|newspaper=[[Multipolarista]]|title=87% of world doesn’t support West’s new cold war on Russia|date=2022-09-21|url=https://multipolarista.com/2022/09/21/global-south-west-cold-war-russia/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924041727/https://multipolarista.com/2022/09/21/global-south-west-cold-war-russia/|archive-date=2022-09-24|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref> Like the first [[Cold War]], its goal is to destroy the communist movement and anything that may threaten the [[Imperial core|Western bourgeoisie]]'s power.

The diplomatic and economic confrontations between the Western and Sino-Russian blocs, especially after the [[2022 Russo-Ukrainian conflict]] began, have resulted in numerous commercial [[Economic sanctions|embargoes]], travel restrictions, and even discriminatory violence against people of Asian or Russian ethnicity abroad, which has been further encouraged by the [[reactionary]] [[bourgeois media]].<ref>[https://youtu.be/7_dIEZhdacc Daily Mail, The Times Both Repeat China "Dune" Poster Lies DAYS After Others Retracted False Claims] by [[The New Atlas]]</ref><ref>{{News citation|title=How to satisfy the US Empire: smear the left, demonize China|url=https://socialistchina.org/2022/01/14/how-to-satisfy-the-us-empire-smear-the-left-demonize-china/}}</ref><ref>{{News citation|journalist=Josh Campbell|title=Anti-Asian hate crimes surged in early 2021, study says|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/05/us/anti-asian-hate-crimes-study/index.html|newspaper=[[CNN]]}}</ref><ref>{{News citation|journalist=Rachel Hu and Chris Garaffa|date=2022-03-16|title=CovertAction Bulletin Podcast: The Role of War Propaganda in Anti-Asian Violence|url=https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/03/16/covertaction-bulletin-podcast-the-role-of-war-propaganda-in-anti-asian-violence/|newspaper=[[CovertAction Magazine]]}}</ref>

On 10 January, 2023 the United States House of Representatives established the [[United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party]]. The "Select Committee" comprised of not more than 16 Members appointed by the Speaker and 7 appointed in consultation with the minority leader, are tasked with advising on the “…status of the economic, technological, and security progress of the Chinese Communist Party and its competition with the United States.”<ref>{{Web citation|author=Kevin McCarthy|newspaper=[[United States Congress]]|title=H.Res.11 - Establishing the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.|date=2023-10-01|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/11|retrieved=2023-02-14|quote=The resolution authorizes the committee to investigate and submit policy recommendations concerning the status of the economic, technological, and security progress of the Chinese Communist Party and its competition with the United States.}}</ref> The development presents a further escalation of the New Cold War against China.

== History ==

=== US-aligned bloc ===
At the end of the [[Second World War]], the United States created the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] to fight against [[communism]] and the international proletarian movement.<ref>[https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/nato Office of the Historian]</ref> Since then, the alliance has grown to 32 member states, all of them dictatorships of the bourgeoisie and located, as per NATO's charter, in Europe and North America. NATO has instigated several wars despite calling itself a defensive alliance,<ref name=":1">{{News citation|author=[[Chris Hedges]]|newspaper=[[MintPress News]]|title=Chris Hedges: NATO—The Most Dangerous Military Alliance on the Planet|date=2022-07-12|url=https://www.mintpressnews.com/chris-hedges-nato-most-dangerous-military-alliance/281304/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721133324/https://www.mintpressnews.com/chris-hedges-nato-most-dangerous-military-alliance/281304/|archive-date=2022-07-21|retrieved=2022-07-26}}</ref> and funded terror cells in Italy as part of [[Operation Gladio]] and in Ukraine during the [[2014 Ukrainian coup d'etat]].<ref>[https://mronline.org/2022/03/23/u-s-and-nato-allies-arm-neo-nazi-units-in-ukraine-as-foreign-policy-elites-yearn-for-afghan-style-insurgency/ U.S. and NATO allies arm neo-Nazi units in Ukraine as Foreign Policy elites yearn for Afghan-style insurgency]</ref>

The end of the war was itself a pivotal moment in global politics, as the US was able to dictate terms to [[Japan]],<ref>The [https://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c06.html Potsdam Declaration], accepted by Japan on 14 August 1945.</ref> [[Republic of Korea|Korea]]<ref>Douglas MacArthur, [https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1945v06/d776 Proclamation No. 1], 1945.</ref> and keep the [[Republic of China]] alive in [[Taiwan Province|Taiwan province]] after the establishment of the People's Republic. In Europe, the [[Marshall Plan]] as well as NATO/CIA intervention kept their influence high against the worker's movement. To this day, these states are still aligned against communism and with the interests of the Statesian [[bourgeoisie]].

In the 1980s, the United States forced Japan to appreciate the Yen in the [[1985 Plaza Accord]], making Japanese exports (which the Japanese economy relies on) less competitive.<ref name=":0">{{Web citation|author=Ken Dow|title=How the Plaza Accord helped the US destroy the Japanese economy|date=2020|url=https://kendawg.medium.com/how-the-plaza-accord-helped-the-us-destroy-the-japanese-economy-b4b24c20a9af}}</ref> Because the Yen was more valuable compared to other currencies, importing Japanese goods became more expensive to consumers and they turned to other providers. Reagan, who was president of the United States at the time, imposed tariffs and trade restrictions on Japanese goods.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Los Angeles Time|title=Reagan Imposes 100% Tariffs on Japan Goods : Retaliatory Sanctions Aimed at $300 Million in Electronic Products in Semiconductor Dispute|date=1987|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-28-mn-698-story.html}}</ref> This caused the [[Lost decade]] in Japan, a period of stagnation and recession in the 1990s that the country still has not recovered from.<ref name=":0" />

To this day there are US military bases and troops occupying Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-United-States-Military-Presence-in-the-West-Pacific-Region-in-2014-Source-Asia_fig6_333663475 US Military presence in West Pacific map, 2014]</ref>

=== New opposition bloc ===
After the [[overthrow of the Soviet Union]] in 1991, itself a continuation of many attempts by the Statesian bourgeoisie to destroy the first successful socialist state, the Cold War was declared over by the West.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Britannica|title=Toward a new world order|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Cold-War/Toward-a-new-world-order|quote=In late 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed and 15 newly independent nations were born from its corpse, including a Russia with a democratically elected, anticommunist leader. The Cold War had come to an end.}}</ref> The [[German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)|German Democratic Republic]] was annexed into the [[Federal Republic of Germany]], the constitutive states of the USSR seceded into their own bourgeois states, and [[Boris Yeltsin]] was elected with US help.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|title=Americans Claim Role in Yeltsin Win|date=July 9, 1996|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-09-mn-22423-story.html|journalist=ELEANOR RANDOLPH}}</ref> Between 1991 and 2001, NATO bombed states of the ex-Yugoslavia as part of the [[Yugoslav Wars]].<ref name=":023">{{Citation|author=[[Michael Parenti]]|year=2000|title=To Kill a Nation|chapter=NATO's War Crimes|page=115–126|pdf=https://leftychan.net/edu/src/1614706295182-3.pdf|publisher=Verso}}</ref>

In 1978, the People's Republic of China had formally started its [[Reform and Opening Up]] plans under [[Deng Xiaoping]]. This followed the [[Sino-Soviet split]] in the 1950s, and China realized that it needed to develop its [[productive forces]] to stand on its own against anti-communist [[Reactionary|reaction]] and infiltration.

In parallel, [[Vladimir Putin]] was elected president of the Russian Federation in March 2000. While he was originally courted by the West to become a [[comprador]] like Yeltsin had been,<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Kremlin|title=President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister Tony Blair held a joint news conference|date=2001|url=http://www.en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/26903}}</ref> Putin moved away from participating in Western hegemony (including joining NATO and the EU when Russia saw that this was going to be impossible) and has since then been considered an enemy by the [[imperial core]].

For a time after 1991, the Cold War was believed to be over and anti-imperialist forces to have been defeated. However, both Russia and China were able to build their productive forces at breakneck speed over the past decades. In 1991, China's GDP per capita (the average value produced by a person in the country) was 333 USD. By 2000, this value had tripled to 959 USD. By 2010, the GDP per capita had reached 4550 USD.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Macrotrends|title=China GDP per capita|url=https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/chn/china/gdp-per-capita}}</ref> Since 2013, China has invested in the [[Belt and Road Initiative]], a worldwide program that aims to build economic self-sufficiency in countries that are either ex-[[Colonialism|colonies]] or imperialized. Since the 2000s, Russia has militarily supported self-determination movements across the world that fight against imperialist meddling. For example, after [[Mali]] and [[Burkina Faso]] (former colonies of France and part of the [[ECOWAS]] system until 2022) kicked out French troops in late 2022 and early 2023,<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Al Jazeera|title=Timeline: Nine years of French troops in Mali|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/17/timeline-what-led-france-to-withdraw-its-troops-from-mali}}</ref><ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Reuters|title=Burkina Faso marks official end of French military operations on its soil|date=2023|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/burkina-faso-marks-official-end-french-military-operations-its-soil-2023-02-19/}}</ref> they invited Russian troops to replace them, creating room to form the [[Alliance of Sahel States]].

== New Cold War ==
The Cold War has never really ended; at most, it was dormant for a period between 1991 and 2010. However, the term has uses to combat the idea that the Cold War is a thing of the past.

In terms of ''cold'' wars being waged, there was the [[Syrian Civil War]] and the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian conflict being fought through proxies.

The Cold War was infamous for the [[Second Red Scare|Red Scare]], a period of anti-communist hysteria that led to widespread political persecution of dissidents in the United States. The US Government has sought to recreate that atmosphere of paranoia with similar propaganda tactics, using unfounded claims of Chinese "infiltration" to justify domestic repression and aggressive foreign policies. <ref>{{Web citation|author=Amanda Yee|newspaper=Liberation News|title=Red Scare reloaded: Chinese “foreign agents” and a new era of McCarthyism|date=2023-07-11|url=https://liberationnews.org/red-scare-reloaded-chinese-foreign-agents-and-a-new-era-of-mccarthyism/|retrieved=2025-08-23|quote=This new era of McCarthyism reproduces the same paranoia as the first iteration in the 1950s: that communist infiltrators both in government and throughout wider society are influencing policy and public opinion in the enemy’s interests.}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Geopolitics]]
[[Category:Cold War]]

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

2025-08-21T23:38:01Z

194.230.146.211: Added topic sentence, and information on police response to the riots

{{External article cleanup|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement|conventional_long_name=Hong Kong Special Administrative Region|native_name=中华人民共和国香港特别行政区 zhōng huá rén mín gòng hé guó xiāng gǎng tè bié xíng zhèng qū|settlement_type=Special Administrative Region|image_map=Hong kong map.svg|image_map_size=220px|population_census=7,503,100|population_census_year=2023|area_km2=1,114.57|image_flag=Hong Kong Flag.png}}
'''Hong Kong''', officially the '''Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China''' (also known as '''Hong Kong SAR''' or '''HKSAR'''; Chinese: 香港) is a special administrative region of [[People's Republic of China|China]] on the eastern Pearl River Delta in South China. Another special administrative region of China is [[Macao Special Administrative Region|Macao]].

As a special administrative region, Hong Kong has its own government with a large degree of autonomy. In general, capitalists, both native and foreign, are less restricted in their business ventures than they would be on the Chinese mainland. Inevitably, poverty is significantly more common in Hong Kong conpared to the mainland. Hong Kong also has its own currency, the Hong Kong dollar, instead of the Renminbi used on the mainland. In December 2019, 68% of residents said they would not support Hong Kong becoming independent and only 17% said they would.<ref>{{News citation|author=Felix Tam, Clare Jim|newspaper=Reuters|title=Exclusive: Support for Hong Kong protesters' demands rises even as coronavirus halts rallies: poll|date=2020-03-27|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests-poll/exclusive-support-for-hong-kong-protesters-demands-rises-even-as-coronavirus-halts-rallies-poll-idUSKBN21E11L|retrieved=2022-04-15}}</ref>

== History ==
Hong Kong was one of the territories occupied by the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|UK]] during the century of humiliation. After the Opium Wars, the UK forced the [[Qing dynasty (1636–1912)|Qing Dynasty]] to sign a treaty signing over various territories. In 1898 a treaty was negotiated giving the British Empire control of Hong Kong for exactly 99 years rent-free.

The governor of British Hong Kong was appointed by the Prime Minister of the UK directly. All governors of British Hong Kong were white Europeans born in the British Isles, and the first governor to speak Chinese was in 1982 (15 years before the end of British rule in Hong Kong). Under British rule, Hong Kong never held a single election and all positions of government were appointed hierarchically by the governor.

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong was handed over back to China.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Xinhua|newspaper=Xinhua|title=Profile: Jiang Zemin's great, glorious life|date=2022-12-03|url=https://english.news.cn/20221203/b421d53c0baa446e96c76f01159a1d3d/c.html|retrieved=2023-07-20}}</ref>

=== 1967 Hong Kong uprising ===
The Hong Kong 1967 riots, also known as the anti-British riots, broke out in Hong Kong in May 1967. Under the influence of the [[cultural revolution]] in mainland China, communists in Hong Kong launched a rebellion against the British colonial government. The incident transformed from an initial strike and demonstration into an open rebellion, involving assassinations and bombings. As a result, 51 people lost their lives directly in the riot, and more than 800 others were injured.<ref>{{Citation|title-url=https://history.sohu.com/20140605/n400463137.shtml|title=Hong Kong Red Guards riot British fears want early return of Hong Kong|trans-title=香港红卫兵暴动英国恐惧想提前香港回归|author=枫网|trans-lang=Traditional Chinese|date=2014-06-05}}</ref>

=== 2019 Hong Kong riots ===
Starting in March 2019, a certain percentage of citizens in [[Hong Kong]] took to the streets to protest mainland China asserting its sovereignty over the island, with foreign-funded parties like Demosisto calling for independence, despite independence of Hong Kong being supported by only 17.4% of the population.<ref>Reuters (2016-07-24) [https://www.reuters.com/article/hongkong-china-survey-idINKCN1050GP?edition-redirect=in One in six support Hong Kong independence from China - poll]</ref><ref>Tony Cheung (2016-07-24) [https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1994198/more-young-hongkongers-back-independence-and-are-less More young Hongkongers back independence and are less supportive of peaceful protest, poll shows]</ref> An extradition bill, which would have allowed a murderer to be extradited to [[Taiwan]] to face trial, sparked outrage in the [[Petty bourgeoisie|petty bourgeois]] population when it was found that the PRC was also included in the bill. In June 2020, Hong Kong passed a security bill that made it illegal to receive foreign funding, and soon after all local proponents of the protests disbanded or were relegated to operations from abroad.<ref>{{Citation|year=2020|title=The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region|pdf=https://www.gld.gov.hk/egazette/pdf/20202448e/egn2020244872.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Web citation|author=Kelly Ho and Tom Grundy|newspaper=Hong Kong Free Press|title=Joshua Wong’s pro-democracy group Demosisto disbands hours after Hong Kong security law passed|date=2020-06-30|url=https://hongkongfp.com/2020/06/30/breaking-joshua-wongs-pro-democracy-group-demosisto-disbands-hours-after-hong-kong-security-law-passed/}}</ref>

==== Murder of Poon Hiu-wing ====
On 2018 February 17, Chan Tong-kai murdered his girlfriend Poon Hiu-wing in a hotel room in Taipei, Taiwan Province. Afterwards, he escaped to Hong Kong before her body was found.<ref name=":0">{{News citation|url=https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-11-06/Five-things-to-know-about-murder-case-behind-Hong-Kong-s-mass-protests-LnBGj6jMNW/index.html|title=Five things to know about murder case behind Hong Kong's mass protests|author=Li Zhao|date=2019-11-06|newspaper=[[China Global Television Network]]}}</ref> Since Hong Kong hasn't signed any extradition agreements with any parts of China, the government had no ability to extradite him to face trial in the Taiwan Province, and they also could not try him in Hong Kong because he did not commit any crimes while in Hong Kong.<ref name=":0" />

==== Extradition Bill ====
The Hong Kong government responded to this problem by trying to sign an extradition agreement with the PRC and [[Republic of China|ROC]] governments. An extradition bill, titled "''Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019''", was gazetted on 2019 March 29.<ref>{{News citation|url=https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr18-19/english/bills/b201903291.htm|title=Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019|author=Legislative Council of Hong Kong|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/202112221220507/https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr18-19/english/bills/b201903291.htm|archive-date=2021-12-21}}</ref> The bill was aimed at targeting people who were in Hong Kong, but who had committed crimes elsewhere in China, by allowing their extradition. Despite the claims of many subsequent opponents of the bill, it never allowed for people who had committed crimes in Hong Kong to be extradited out of Hong Kong.

The HKSAR Government later issued the following statement on October 2019:<blockquote>Chan will be a free man after being released from jail. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has no authority to impose any restrictive measures on him.<ref>{{News citation|url=https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-10-23/HK-or-Taiwan-Debate-over-possible-trial-location-of-murder-case-L1RY90fp84/index.html|author=He Weiwei|date=2019-10-24|title=Hong Kong or Taiwan? Debate over possible trial location of murder case|newspaper=[[China Global Television Network]]}}</ref></blockquote>

==== United States involvement ====
The proposal of this bill was then capitalized on by foreign governments, mainly the [[United States of America]].

In August 2019, Julie Eadeh, a US diplomat in Hong Kong, was caught meeting HK protest leaders.<ref>{{News citation|url=https://thegrayzone.com/2019/08/17/hong-kong-protest-washington-nativism-violence/|date=2019-08-17|author=Dan Cohen|title=Behind a made-for-TV Hong Kong protest narrative, Washington is backing nativism and mob violence|newspaper=The Grayzone}}</ref>

Leaders of Hong Kong’s opposition have spent years cultivating close relationships with US politicians. They have met with Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Marco Rubio, and Rick Scott, and Tom Cotton.<ref>{{News citation|url=https://thegrayzone.com/2020/06/09/hong-kongs-far-right-us-politicians-crush-black-lives-matter/|date=2020-06-09|author=Ajit Singh|newspaper=The Grayzone|title=Hong Kong’s ‘pro-democracy’ movement allies with far-right US politicians that seek to crush Black Lives Matter}}</ref>

The [[Hong Kong Democracy Council]] was launched on September 16, 2019, with [[Joshua Wong]] and other Hong Kong opposition figures attending the opening reception. The council was formed with the aim of “pushing the US to uphold its commitment to Hong Kong’s basic freedoms and autonomy and ''to preserve the US’s own political and economic interests in Hong Kong''.” The majority of HKDC’s advisory board is made up of members of the [[National Endowment for Democracy|NED]], the [[Open Society Foundation]], the [[Council on Foreign Relations]], and [[Freedom House]].<ref>{{News citation|url=https://thegrayzone.com/2019/11/22/hong-kong-opposition-unites-washington-hardliners/|title=Hong Kong’s opposition unites with Washington hardliners to ‘preserve the US’s own political and economic interests’|author=Ajit Singh|newspaper=[[The Grayzone]]|date=2019-11-22}}</ref>

Between 1995 and 2013, HKHRM (The Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor) received more than $1.9 million in funds from the NED.<ref>{{News citation|url=https://www.mintpressnews.com/hong-kong-protests/259202/|author=Alexander Rubinstein|title=American Gov’t, NGOs Fuel and Fund Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Protests|date=2019-06-13|newspaper=Mintpress News}}</ref>

The riots were supported by [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] [[Neo-Nazism|neo-Nazis]] who had fought for the US-backed [[Azov Battalion]].<ref>{{News citation|author=[[Ben Norton]]|newspaper=[[The Grayzone]]|title=Ukrainian neo-Nazis flock to the Hong Kong protest movement|date=2019-12-04|url=https://thegrayzone.com/2019/12/04/ukrainian-nazis-hong-kong-protests/|retrieved=2022-04-15}}</ref>

In 2020, it was revealed that right-wing separatist “Kong Tsung-gan” was actually a Statesian teacher wearing yellowface.<ref>{{News citation|author=[[Max Blumenthal]]|newspaper=The Grayzone|title=Western media’s favorite Hong Kong ‘freedom struggle writer’ is American ex-Amnesty staffer in yellowface|date=2020-08-08|url=https://thegrayzone.com/2020/08/08/hong-kong-western-media-yellowfacing-amnesty/|retrieved=2022-04-15}}</ref>

==== Violence ====
There have been widespread cases of violence committed by the rioters, including vandalism, arson, and assaults on both police officers and civilians.

A rioter murdered an unarmed 70 year-old street cleaner by throwing a brick at his head.<ref>{{News citation|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3041606/hong-kong-police-offer-hk800000-reward-information-find|date=2019-12-11|title=Hong Kong police offer HK$800,000 reward for information to find killer of cleaner hit by brick during clash between protesters and Sheung Shui residents|author=Clifford Lo|newspaper=SCMP}}</ref>

A rioter set fire to an unarmed civilian and burned him alive.<ref>{{News citation|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3037243/hong-kong-father-two-burned-alive-after-chasing|title=Hong Kong father of two ‘burned alive’ after chasing protesters at MTR station in grisly act of violence police classify as attempted murder|author=Clifford Lo|date=2019-12-11|newspaper=SMCP}}</ref> The civilian survived, although his condition is unknown.

Rioters threw [[Molotov cocktails]] at unarmed civilians.<ref>{{News citation|title-url=https://twitter.com/carlzha/status/1158548139319496706?s=21|title=That escalated quickly, Molotov cocktail now used by protesters to block Road in Hong Kong|author=Carl Zha|date=2019-08-06}}</ref>

Rioters fired flaming arrows at police.<ref>{{News citation|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/11/17/hong-kong-protesters-shoot-arrows-police-violence-intensifies/4222011002/|title=Hong Kong protesters with bows, arrows battle police for control of university, dozens arrested|author=John Bacon|date=2019-11-17|newspaper=USA Today}}</ref>

Rioters vandalized 138 of the 161 rail stations in Hong Kong and destroyed lifts used by [[Disability|disabled]] people.<ref>{{News citation|author=Kenny Coyle|newspaper=[[Monthly Review]]|title=Hong Kong: truth is out|date=2022-07-16|url=https://mronline.org/2022/07/16/hong-kong-truth-is-out/|retrieved=2022-07-16}}</ref>

Former HKSAR Director of Public Prosecutions Grenville Cross commended the Hong Kong Police Force on their response, contrasting their professionalism with the heavy-handed police crackdowns seen in [[Yellow vest movement|France]] and the [[George Floyd protests|United States]].<ref>{{Web citation|author=Grenville Cross|newspaper=China Daily|title=Asia's finest protects HK in good times and bad|date=2020-08-05|url=https://www.chinadailyhk.com/hk/article/195647#Asia's-finest-protects-HK-in-good-times-and-bad-2020-08-05|retrieved=2025-08-22}}</ref>

==References==
<references />
[[Category:People's Republic of China]]
[[Category:Targets of regime change operations]]
[[Category:Targets of bourgeois media]]