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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support. FOR THE WEEK OF AUG. 19, 2019 Weeks of massive, violent protests in Hong Kong test its relationship with China![]() ![]() Summarize the situation this week after reading new coverage.
![]() Share a reaction by any U.S. official, expert or commentator.
![]() List a fact from other foreign news. Why is the topic important?
Huge street demonstrations have escalated this summer in Hong Kong, a global financial hub that is a semi-autonomous region of China. The original focus was a proposal by the regional government to let local authorities send arrested dissidents and others to mainland China. Opponents fear the bill would place Hong Kong residents and visitors under that Communist government's jurisdiction, undermining citizens' rights in a special administrative region with its own political and economic systems. Protesters now are pressing for greater democracy and an investigation of police brutality against them. Rallies began last spring, became larger in June and then turned violent as hundreds of thousands repeatedly marched through the capital. Demonstrators also took over the busy international airport for three days this month, closing it. Riot police have used tear gas and rubber bullets against unruly crowds. The Chinese government in Beijing, eager to end the protests that draw global attention, calls the protesters "criminal terrorists" and "street thugs who want Hong Kong to 'go to hell,'" as a state-run newspaper put it last week under this headline: "Hong Kong violence reveals hidden agenda fueled by evil intentions." Mainland authorities also claim the disruptions stem from the "black hand" of foreign interference, particularly from the United States. China gained control over Hong Kong from Britain in 1997, pledging autonomy for a modern, thriving city that represents capitalism and freedom in Asia. Gradually, China has been whittling down those liberties. "The protests are a political groundswell, a reflection of genuine popular anger and commitment to democracy," says a Washington Post editorial (see video below). An Australian scholar is among those worried about a bloody crackdown. "The chances of armed intervention from Beijing, once unthinkable, are rising by the day," Richard McGregory wrote last week in a New York Times guest column. "The state media has broadcast ominous footage of its anti-riot police, who fall under the command of the People's Liberation Army, marshaled on the Hong Kong border."
Front Page Talking Points is written by
Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2025
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