COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND PHENOMENON OF OPPORTUNISTIC REPRESSION AGAINST SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: A CASE STUDY OF 2019 HONG KONG PRODEMOCRATIC RESISTANCE

Abstract

The declaration of the human transmit disease vis-à-vis COVID-19 not only impacted the socio-political structure of the world but also provided a window of opportunity to some governments for overpowering and coercing the people’s struggle under the cover of pandemic safety mechanism. As earlier that year there were social movements in almost every corner of the globe demanding their very rights from their respective systems. The novel case of the least studied phenomenon of opportunistic repression could be evident in pseudo democracies specifically in territories as Hong Kong which marked one of the biggest social movements of 2019. Addressing the research gap in the existing literature on opportunistic repression this study aims to provide a conceptual framework to understand the social movement mobilization before and during the pandemic in the case of Hong Kong. Conducting thematic analysis of sampled secondary data, this study provides a comprehensive review of the sources and characteristics of the Hong Kong people’s struggle before and during a pandemic. Further this study aims identify tactical adaptations and provide an in-depth insight of opportunistic repression by China in its Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong). As the study is qualitative in nature, it does not aim to provide solution to the problem but rather contribute in the existing body of knowledge by demonstrating that COVID-19 facilitated the process of repression which ended Hong Kong pre-pandemic struggle. The research also provides implications and avenues for further research.