Authoritarian governments are paper tigers

By Entian Qiu

When fighting for freedom, we are hurting all dictators.

The world has grown increasingly authoritarian over the last decade but against despots and dictators alike, we must usher in a new wave of resistance. From Hong Kong, Belarus and even the United States of America, grassroots democracy and civil right movements are finally starting to take momentum. Why shouldn’t they?

Dozens of governments have used the pandemic as an excuse to crack down on human rights, suppress freedoms, and implement laws that cement their own power for decades to come. According to Freedom House, 80 countries worldwide have had their human rights and democracy scores drop. Only Malawi, a small African nation increased.

The initial spark, the Hong Kong protests which arguably sparked many of the movements, has largely died out on the street. Protests, both peaceful and violent, have been crushed by the national security law, which came to pass in June 2020. The law was viewed by many foreign and local observers alike to be draconian. It was telling that even though 59% of city residents supported the protest movement, they ultimately had no say deciding the future of their city.

“Advertisements” for the law still hang limply in MTR stations throughout the city, and one must wonder how unpopular the law truly is if it needs to be advertised constantly to be accepted. The law’s ability to be interpreted arbitrarily effectively bans popular protest slogans and the anthem “Glory to Hong Kong”.

Despite this, new protesters around the world have taken inspiration from Hong Kong. Scenes reminiscent of Hong Kong are appearing globally. Protesters are using flash mob tactics in Thailand. A HK strategy to put out tear gas with traffic cones and water has been put to use in Black Lives Matter protests. Prominent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has voiced his support for these protests on Twitter.

The “Milk Tea Alliance” is the informal name that Thai, Hong Kong and Taiwanese protesters and netizens use to refer to themselves. The name originated from the fact that all three milk-tea loving nations were protesting against or being threatened by authoritarian regimes. Since then it has evolved into a broadly anti-China and anti-authoritarian movement. Some other nations have also been proposed to be included such as India, Australia and Belarus.

One rapidly developing dynamic protest movement taking shape is in Thailand. Protesters originally wanted to express their dissatisfaction with the government; however, after police used water cannons and tensions heightened, many now support the reform of the monarchy and democracy. This is particularly dangerous in Thailand where the lèse-majesté (literally meaning “Injured Monarchy”) law carries a fifteen year sentence for disrespecting or criticising the monarchy.

The tensions are certainly not being helped by the king, Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X). The King has gone on many luxury extended stays in Germany and other European countries while simultaneously trying to consolidate more and more power back at home. In fact, he has lived in Germany since 2007. It is clear that he has been conducting political power while overseas and Germany should, in turn, investigate these claims.

If a developed, democratic nation like Germany stands idly by, they are enabling the crushing of democracy. Germany has to investigate, and this will be a huge win for the morale of protesters worldwide. It will clearly and definitively show that the western world will intervene in matters of freedom.

People in far flung regions of the world are looking at existing movements and realizing that they can do the same. They recognize that they hold the power, not ruthless dictators in shiny mansions. The tide has turned against the tyrants. The spark that Hong Kong struck has caught fire, and with every single success or failure, tactics are improving. Protesters learn from each other. Peaceful protests can bring brighter global attention and more sympathy than a violent uprising. Authoritarian governments have traditionally kept order with excessive violence, but a military crackdown on a decentralized, peaceful movement cannot happen without global condemnation. People living under authoritarianism must shout to make their voices heard, and those who live in democracies must campaign, vote and pressure their governments to take action.

Only with a unified effort can democracy prevail.