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Tuesday evening in front of Hong Kongs Central Government Complex seemed at first glance like any other in recent memory, with pro-democracy protesters milling around the tent-filled section of highway they have christened Umbrella Square.

But it was on this day exactly one month ago that police used tear gas on thousands of citizens demanding the right to elect their own leader without interference from Beijing.

And this memory remains fresh in peoples minds.

It was a sad day because of what the police did, said 24-year-old Alan Yip, who was on the front lines on Sept. 28 and has been camping out in the ritzy Admiralty district for the past 20 days. Many people suffered.

Tuesdays commemoration, attended by thousands, was filled with symbolism and perfectly orchestrated. At exactly 5:57 p.m., the time the first tear gas was deployed, protesters opened a sea of umbrellas and observed 87 seconds of silence for the 87 canisters fired. Many donned goggles and face masks as they had during the onslaught.

There was a huge cheer as the silence ended, and a long yellow banner was unfurled reading I want real universal suffrage. As music began to play and a screen off to the side showed scenes of that tumult, plus everything that has happened since, many protesters wept anew as they reflected on their ongoing struggle for democracy.

The achievement weve had is totally unexpected, Benny Tai, co-founder of the civil-disobedience movement now being called Occupy Hong Kong, tells TIME. A new era has started.

Tai also urged the protesters to consider the relationship between the Umbrella Movement a name derived from the protesters use of umbrellas as shields against police pepper spray and Hong Kongs three-decade-long history of democratic movements. How can we see the Umbrella Movement beyond Umbrella Square? he asks.

Oct. 21 talks between Hong Kong officials and student leaders yielded little progress, and on Tuesday the students asked for a meeting with Chinas Premier Li Keqiang, according to Bloomberg.

For protesters like Dominic Lee, though, the immediate future looks somewhat bleak. Its a bit of getting nowhere, he said. You can see the government didnt respond, they didnt change anything.

Read more from the original source:
One Month After Tear Gas, Hong Kong Protesters Ponder Their Next Step

When police cleared barricades in Hong Kongs Mong Kok neighborhood this month, they knocked down a makeshift chapel and shattered a statue of Jesus Christ. A day later, activists rebuilt the shrine, adding for good measure a cross in front of government headquarters.

The episode shows the unusually central role Christianity is playing in the protests over how the citys chief executive will be elected, even as the faith is curtailed in China. Many protest leaders are Christians and they cite freedom of religion as one reason theyre leery of greater Communist Party control over the city.

That the faith has thrived in Hong Kong since China regained sovereignty from the British in 1997 serves as a reminder that partys power is limited. While the city government took steps to promote other faiths after the handover, Christianity has grown stronger by some measures and expanded its footprint across the border on the mainland.

We support universal suffrage, because from our religious standpoint, everyone, no matter rich or poor, should have the right to take care of the whole society, said Yuen Tin Yau, the reverend who heads the Methodist Congregations of Hong Kong. He cites Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, a fellow Methodist, as inspiration. Everyone should have the right to vote -- not just vote but a real choice.

Pro-democracy protesters chant outside the Pacific Place shopping mall in Hong Kong, China, on Oct. 13, 2014. Close

Pro-democracy protesters chant outside the Pacific Place shopping mall in Hong Kong,... Read More

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Pro-democracy protesters chant outside the Pacific Place shopping mall in Hong Kong, China, on Oct. 13, 2014.

The presence of Catholics and Protestants in Hong Kong dates back to at least the mid-19th Century, when the British secured the territory as a trading post for tea and opium. The religious community is now a freewheeling collection of more than 70 denominations, offering a rival authority on a scale that the communists dont face on the mainland.

There, the government recognizes five state-sanctioned religions, including Protestant and Catholic patriotic associations that dont recognize the pope, and has influence over budgets and appointments. Independent churches are forced underground and members can face arrest.

Read more from the original source:
Christians Lead H.K. Protests in Test of Chinas Control

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