US lawmakers nominate the Umbrella Movement for the Nobel Peace Prize
Senator Marco Rubio, Congressman Chris Smith and 10 other US lawmakers have nominated Joshua Wong and Hong Kong’s umbrella protest movement for the 2018 Nobel peace prize in recognition of their non-violent quest for democracy.
The bi-partisan group of lawmakers addressed a letter to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee on 31 January 2018 which called for the nomination of ‘Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Nathan Law Kwun-chung, Alex Chow Yong-kang, and the entire pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, collectively known as the “Umbrella Movement,” to receive the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their peaceful efforts to bring political reform and self-determination in Hong Kong and protect the autonomy and freedom guaranteed in Hong Kong in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.’
The Senators and Congressmen continued to highlight that the movement was the ‘largest pro-democracy’ movement in Hong Kong’s history and that it ‘demonstrated civic courage, extraordinary leadership, and an unwavering commitment to a free and prosperous Hong Kong that upholds the rule of law, political freedoms and human rights.’
The nomination comes in the week that Agnes Chow, another of the leaders of the Umbrella Movement, along with Ventus Lau and James Chan, were disqualified from running in the upcoming March by-elections.
Benedict Rogers, co-founder and chair of Hong Kong Watch said,
"This is an excellent, very timely and very welcome initiative. The Senators and Congressmen who have proposed this nomination are absolutely right in describing the Umbrella Movement as a whole, and its leaders, as among the most inspiring and courageous peaceful movements for democracy and human rights in recent times, certainly fitting the criteria of the Nobel Peace Prize and in keeping with the values of previous Laureates.”
“We hope the Nobel Peace Prize committee will give this nomination serious consideration. It is very deserving and would be a tremendous encouragement to the people of Hong Kong at an increasingly difficult time."