You’ve seen them in the paper and heard their names discussed around town, but who are these people anyway? We meet these notable “Post-80s” protesters, and interview the “public face” of the movement, Christina Chan. By June Ng.

Chu Hoi-dick
At the age of 32, Chu doesn’t technically belong to the so-called Post-80s generation. But as one of the major forces behind the Anti-XRL Group, Chu has been involved in past battles to preserve the Star Ferry Pier, the Queen’s Pier, and Lee Tung Street (aka Wedding Card Street). As for why so many young people are suddenly taking part in the social movement, Chu thinks it’s because more people are freelancing instead of working full time, so they have more time to fight for what they believe in. Chu is a freelance writer, translator and occasionally gives talks at schools. This earns him just enough money for himself and his family.

Leung Wing-lai
Leung was also born in 1982 and has taken part in both the hunger strike and the anti-express rail ritual walk in five district campaigns. He’s not a member of Local Action, but is a talk show host on Civil Radio and is now running a district radio station that covers Kowloon East, from Yau Tong to To Kwa Wan. He also believes in fighting for free access to the airwaves. So what motivated him to join the hunger strike and the ritual walk? “The walk symbolized the pace of the city, that it’s running too fast and it’s out of our hands. This is to remind people that we should slow down the development speed,” says Leung. “As for fasting, it shows that we’ve lost control of what our city is turning into. The only thing that’s left for us to control is our own body.”

Ah P from My Little Airport
Ah P used to simply be an indie musician, active in the local music scene for years, but he started to gain more and more political awareness after he had a personal encounter with the police. He was invited to the Wan Chai police station and questioned by detectives about whether his indie show, simply named “Topless Christmas Party” by one of his projects, Forever Tarkovsky Club, involved any racy content or was related to prostitution. Afterward he wrote songs more political in nature blasting the ridiculousness of the Hong Kong government, such as the YouTube hits “Donald Tsang, Please Die” and “Let’s Share Stephen Lam’s $300,000 Wage.”

Up-and-Coming: The Post-90s
The development plan in the northeast New Territories may inspire more youngsters to stand up for civil rights. Queenie Chung is a Form 5 student who has just finished her public examination, but for the last year has been raising public awareness about the fate of her home, Kwu Tung Village. A proposed development plan could result in the village being demolished and replaced by a low-rise residential area owned by major developers. She thinks the “Post-80s” movement encourages young people to defend their legitimate rights, and that “peer pressure” is in fact very effective. Chung has set up a Facebook group concerning the future of Kwu Tung and a website hk.myblog.yahoo.com/kwutung-supportus. (Chinese only)

Chan King-fai
Born in 1982, Chan is another prominent activist who has been working side by side with Chu Hoi-dick for Local Action since 2004. His inspiration for becoming a protestor came from the July 1 demonstration in 2003 when 500,000 people marched for democracy, followed by the Wedding Card Street incident. It was these events that made him realize people need to come out and protest for social justice, and be proactive about making change. “It’s no use if you try to engage a reasonable conversation with the Urban Renewal Authority or the government,” he says. “They will just ignore you if you try to arrange a meeting with them in the conventional way.”

Other Post-80s stories...
The Post-80s Boom
An Account of a Happy Protest