Several Hong Kong protest leaders arrested in apparent crackdown escalation


A number of Hong Kong protest leaders were arrested Friday morning, according to pro-democracy group Demosistō, including its 22-year-old leader, Joshua Wong. Wong was seized at about 7:30 Friday morning at a subway stop then "suddenly pushed into a private car on the street" and taken to Hong Kong police headquarters, Demosistō said. Another prominent Demosistō activist, Agnes Chow, was arrested at her house. A third protest leader, Andy Chan, was arrested as he tried to board a plane at Hong Kong International Airport, on charges of rioting and assaulting a police officer. Chan is founder of the banned pro-independence Hong Kong National Party.
The arrests, part of a widening crackdown on protests that have roiled Hong Kong for two months, precede a major protest march on Saturday to mark the five-year anniversary of Beijing ruling out universal suffrage, sparking the 2014 Umbrella Movement; authorities have refused to issue a permit for Saturday's march. Wong and Chow have both been arrested since the umbrella protests, which they helped lead — Wong was released from jail most recently in June — and the current protest moment is deliberately leaderless, relying on social media to organize protests.
As the protests persist and have started to develop a violent edge, authorities in Hong Kong have stepped up arrests and use of force and Beijing had issued threats and displayed military force. So far, more than 800 people have been arrested in connection with the protests, some of them facing up to 10 years in jail on riot charges. Wong and Chow are supposed to travel to Washington in September to meet with lawmakers and testify in support of the bipartisan Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Kenya arrests alleged ant smugglers
speed read Two young Belgians have been charged for attempting to smuggle ants out of the country to exotic pet buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge ends Eric Adams case, Trump leverage
Speed Read Federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams were dismissed, as requested by Trump's Justice Department
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Texas arrests midwife on felony abortion charges
Speed Read Maria Margarita Rojas and an employee at one of her clinics are the first to be criminally charged under Texas' near-total abortion ban
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
South Carolina to execute prisoner by firing squad
speed read Death row inmate Brad Sigmon prefers the squad over the electric chair or lethal injection, his lawyer said
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Mexico extradites 29 cartel figures amid US tariff threat
Speed Read The extradited suspects include Rafael Caro Quintero, long sought after killing a US narcotics agent
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Leonard Peltier released from prison
Speed Read The Native American activist convicted of killing two FBI agents had his life sentence commuted by former President Joe Biden
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Ex-Sen. Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years
Speed Read The former New Jersey senator was convicted on federal bribery and corruption charges last year
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Police ID driver of exploded Cybertruck, can't see motive
Speed Read An Army Green Beret detonated a homemade bomb in a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US