The peaceful protesters occupying the streets of Hong Kong for more than two months have been surprisingly persistent in their pursuit of genuine universal suffrage. It is welcome news that some student leaders are considering bringing the occupation to an end. They are exhausted and have been unwilling to go home without substantial concessions from the Hong Kong and Beijing governments.
Many protesters still think too little has been achieved. They see the lack of concessions from the Hong Kong government as a reason to continue pressing on. I disagree. The Umbrella Movement has awakened the democratic aspirations of a whole generation of Hong Kong people. In this sense, we have achieved much more than what we could have hoped for.
There are clear signs that the occupation is losing public support. In the latest poll conducted by the University of Hong Kong, close to 80 percent of the respondents did not support the continuation of the occupation. That does not mean that support for genuine universal suffrage is in decline but that more supporters are questioning the effectiveness of prolonging the occupation.
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