“If you fire, fire at me.”

During Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution in 2014, Ray Wong saw an older man stand in front of armed police and offer his life to protect the crowd. That moment changed Wong forever, and set him on a path from student protester to activist leader, and finally into exile.

In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, Ray — now policy and strategy advisor at Hong Kong Watch — tells his story: how the Umbrella Revolution brought together a generation, why “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times” became the defining slogan, and what it means to keep resisting under authoritarian pressure.

Also found on Youtube and Substack

We discuss:

• The turning point of the Umbrella Revolution
• The birth of the Be Water protest strategy
• Beijing’s United Front and its reach into Europe
• Exile, surveillance, and the personal cost of resistance
• Why authoritarian regimes are weaker than they look

🎧 A conversation about protest, exile, and why democracy is always worth fighting for.

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