Event

Join NATHAN LAW, activist and student, for a discussion of the fast-moving, momentous, and increasingly perilous protests in Hong Kong. Hosted by the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy and the Philomathean Society. 

About this Event

PLEASE NOTE: This event is open to Penn students, faculty, staff, alumni and affiliates with a valid Penn ID. ALL ATTENDEES MUST PRESENT A PENNCARD FOR ADMITTANCE.  Attendance will also be limited to those who have registered individually for this event through Eventbrite ticketing. Finally, those who register should arrive at 6:00 pm to ensure that everyone is admitted in a timely fashion by 6:30 .

As part of the POLITICS ON THE EDGE series, The Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy, The Philomathean Society, the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, the Hong Kong Students Association UPenn, and UPenn SPEC present HONG KONG ON THE BRINK: A STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL, featuring Nathan Law.

NATHAN LAW is a young activist in Hong Kong, currently studying at Yale University for a master degree in East Asian Studies. During the Umbrella Movement in 2014, Nathan was one of the five representatives who took part in the dialogue with government, debating political reform. 

Upholding non-violent civic actions, Nathan, Joshua Wong and other student leaders founded Demosistō in 2016, and also co-founded Network of Young Democratic Asians (NOYDA), aiming at promoting exchanges among social activists in Japan, Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand and other East Asian countries.

In the recent Legislative Council election, Nathan was elected with 50,818 votes in the Hong Kong Island constituency and became youngest Legislative Councilor in history. Yet his seat was overturned in July 2017 following Beijing's constitutional reinterpretation, despite international criticism. 

Nathan was later jailed for his participation in the Umbrella Movement. The persecution sparked global concern over Beijing's crackdown on human rights and democratic movement in Hong Kong. In 2018, Nathan and his fellow student activists Joshua Wong and Alex Chow are nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by US congressmen and British parliament members.