Hong Kong’s college and school students began a boycott of classes last week in protest against Beijing’s position on electoral reforms. The boycott gained the support of over 400 academic and non-academic staff, with college staff promising leniency for students who skip classes and Hong Kong’s largest teachers’ union circulating a petition calling for strong support for the classroom boycott.

More significant were the youths behind the mobilisation and organisation of the boycott. This latest public protest is just one instance in a series of civil disobedience movements initiated by the youths of Hong Kong – many whom are not even old enough to drive or drink.

…Dylan Loh Ming Hui is a research analyst with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.