Hong Kong student protest leader says jail time would prove his point

Nathan Law was just 20 years old in September 2014, when tens of thousands of students like himself took to the streets of Hong Kong, calling for free elections and thrusting the city into the international spotlight.

After becoming a key figure in what's been dubbed the Umbrella Movement,Law is now on an international speaking tour, calling on those with Hong Kong roots to pay attention to what's happening in their homeland.

"I know that there are lots of second or third generation of the immigrants [who] don't really care about what is happening in the place that their fathers or their grandparents came from," said Law, who spoke at UBC on Friday.

"But I think after the Umbrella Movement, it should be the time to look back to the city that your parents or your grandparents once lived, and see how we could do anything to help."

Law said the situation in Hong Kong should be of concern to anyone who values democracy and human rights.

"It really signified how the Chinese government is treating an international city the window of the world, of the south."

Law risks jail time for involvement

In many ways, Law is your average university student; he likes video games, comics and soccer.

But he also has a fierce political streak.

"We believe in universal human rights and universal values, and those are the things that we strive for," Law said. "Hong Kong people, they have been promised that they should enjoy democracy, but the Chinese government failed to do so."

Many prominent figures in the protests have faced charges for their involvement that include the possibility of jail time.

But Law isn't scared. In fact, he says harsh consequences from the government would actually prove the point he and his fellow protestors have been trying to drive home.

"I think even if I was convicted, that history will prove them wrong," Law said.

"My [personal] future is not the most important thing in my mind, and I think a lot of Hong Kong people think similarly,"

With files from Vivian Luk and CBC's On the Coast.