美国国家公共电台 NPR In Hong Kong, Moderate And Radical Protesters Join Forces To Avoid Past Divisions

 

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Since June, large protests have rocked Hong Kong with hundreds of thousands of people filling the streets. The rally started after officials introduced a bill that would allow criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China. Today, police used tear gas and brought out water cannons¹ for the first time to clear the crowds. Protesters pushed back, throwing bricks and gasoline bombs toward them. The Chinese government has accused demonstrators of acts verging² on terrorism. But as NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Hong Kong, the violence has apparently³ not divided the movement internally nor turn the wider public against it.

(CROSSTALK)

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE⁴: When the big rallies rap up, the sun goes down and the families head home. That's when the kids in black get busy. Many of them show up ready to confront the popo, which is their name for the police. A 20-year-old woman, surname Chan, and her crew are dressed head to toe in black. Earlier this week, they gathered outside government offices in central Hong Kong. They've got helmets, gas masks, walkie talkies and arm and leg protectors. Chan asked that we only use her last name to protect her from reprisals⁵ by the authorities.

CHAN: I was the one standing⁶ there and say, oh, we need to keep fighting and we won't, like, leave today.

KUHN: Some protesters start yelling for everyone to head home.

(CROSSTALK)

KUHN: The protest organizers urged the young protesters to withdraw to show the world that the movement can still be peaceful. Chan says she decided⁷ to call it quits simply because she and her team were outnumbered by police.

Why is it OK to use violence?

CHAN: Because the police used violence to us first.

KUHN: One of the protesters' top demands is an official inquiry⁸ into allegations of police brutality⁹ against them. Chan argues that Hong Kong's youth are simply fighting for their future. She says that their city will go back to the same political, legal and economic system as mainland China in less than three decades.

CHAN: It will be the golden time in Hong Kong. If they don't fight for themselves now, they will be the ones who suffer, like, after 20 years.

KUHN: Hardcore protesters like Chan are allied¹⁰ with pro-democracy politicians like Ray Kwong, a 36-year-old lawmaker. Kwong has negotiated between protesters and police at the front lines and protected injured demonstrators. He doesn't condone¹¹ violence, but he says protesters are his friends, whether they're peaceful or not.

RAY KWONG: (Through interpreter) These days, I feel very grateful for the students' trust in me. Our relationship is like hands and feet. If one gets hurt, we feel the other's pain.

KUHN: Kwong says the protest movement will not fall apart simply because different camps adopt different tactics.

KWONG: (Through interpreter) Sometimes, Hong Kong people are courageous¹². Sometimes, they're more rational. Only when these two aspects work in conjunction with each other can our movement achieve its aims.

KUHN: Edmund Cheng, a political scientist at Hong Kong Baptist University, has surveyed protesters and says the majority are moderates.

EDMUND CHENG: Most of the moderate protesters actually understand and tolerate some sort of more militant¹³ actions as long as they didn't really hurt the ordinary citizens.

KUHN: Cheng says that just like during the Umbrella Movement protests of 2014, the government's strategy has been one of attrition - wait them out and wear them down. And therefore protesters know that they can't let their tactics divide them.

CHENG: They somehow understand why when the government didn't really listen to the public, they must escalate¹⁴.

KUHN: Cheng says that the movement has become more peaceful in recent days because the moderates and radicals¹⁵ have debated the way forward in online forums¹⁶ and messaging apps. And for the moment, the moderates have prevailed. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Hong Kong.

1 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 verging   

接近，逼近（verge的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed understanding, verging on sympathy, for our approach. 他宣称对我们提出的做法很理解，而且近乎同情。
• He's verging on 80 now and needs constant attention. 他已近80岁，需要侍候左右。

3 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 reprisals   

n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They did not want to give evidence for fear of reprisals. 他们因为害怕报复而不想作证。
• They took bloody reprisals against the leaders. 他们对领导进行了血腥的报复。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

9 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

10 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

11 condone   

v.宽恕；原谅

参考例句：

• I cannot condone the use of violence.我不能宽恕使用暴力的行为。
• I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.我绝不允许任何导致战争的行为。

12 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

13 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

14 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

15 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

16 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。