Agnes Chow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Agnes Chow
周庭
Chow in 2019 at Tim Mei Avenue
Personal details
Born	Chow Ting (1996-12-03) 3 December 1996 (age 28) British Hong Kong
Nationality	Chinese (since 1997) British (1996–2018)
Political party	Demosisto (2016–2020)
Education	Holy Family Canossian College [zh] Hong Kong Baptist University OCAD University
Occupation	Student, Politician
Known for	Spokesperson for Scholarism; co-founder of Demosistō
Nicknames	"Mulan of Hong Kong" "Real Mulan" "Goddess of Scholarism" "Goddess of Democracy" "Goddess of Student Movement"
Chinese name
Chinese	周庭
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōu Tíng Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Zau1 Ting4

Agnes Chow Ting (born on December 3, 1996) is a young activist from Hong Kong. She became well-known for speaking up for students and for democracy. Agnes was a leader in student groups like Scholarism and later helped start a political party called Demosisto.

She has been involved in many important protests in Hong Kong. These protests were about making sure people in Hong Kong had a say in their future. Agnes has faced challenges, including being arrested and spending time in jail. In 2023, she moved to Canada to continue her studies.

About Agnes Chow

Agnes Chow grew up in a family that wasn't very involved in politics. But when she was about 15, she saw a post online that inspired her. Thousands of young people were talking about making changes. This made her want to get involved too. Her Catholic faith also played a part in her decision to join social movements.

Education and Languages

In 2014, Agnes started studying at Hong Kong Baptist University. She focused on government and how countries interact. She speaks several languages fluently. These include Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Japanese. She learned Japanese by watching anime, which are Japanese cartoons.

Agnes has appeared in Japanese news and interviews. People in Japan sometimes call her the "Goddess of Democracy." This is because of her role in Hong Kong's movement for more freedom.

Online Presence

In February 2020, Agnes started her own YouTube channel. She posted videos where she talked about her life in Cantonese and Japanese. By December 2020, she had over 300,000 followers. Her Facebook profile was later deleted in June 2021.

Early Activism and Student Movements

Agnes Chow first became known in 2012. She was a spokesperson for a student group called Scholarism. At that time, she was a student at Holy Family Canossian College. She protested against a new education plan. Many people thought this plan was trying to "brainwash" students.

Standing Up for Students

During these protests, Agnes met other young activists like Joshua Wong. The protests were very successful. Thousands of students gathered, and the government eventually stopped the education plan.

In 2014, Agnes worked with other student groups. They wanted to change how leaders were chosen in Hong Kong. She helped lead a student strike. This strike was against rules that limited who could run for leader. These protests became very large and were called the "Umbrella Revolution." During this time, Agnes felt a lot of pressure and stepped back from politics for a while. She also resigned from Scholarism.

Demosistō Political Party

After the "Umbrella Revolution," many young people wanted to get more involved in politics. In April 2016, Agnes Chow helped start a new political party. It was called Demosisto. She started it with Joshua Wong and Nathan Law. They were all student leaders during the earlier protests.

Role in Demosistō

Agnes was the first deputy secretary-general of Demosistō. She worked with Nathan Law when he ran for a seat in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Nathan Law became the youngest person ever elected to the Legislative Council. In 2017, Agnes was arrested during a protest. This happened when a very important leader from China visited Hong Kong.

On June 30, 2020, Agnes, Nathan Law, and Joshua Wong announced that Demosistō was closing down. This happened just before a new national security law was passed in Hong Kong. Many activists were worried about being arrested under this new law. Agnes also said she would stop her international advocacy work.

Running for Office

After Nathan Law lost his seat in the Legislative Council, Agnes Chow decided to run. She wanted to represent Hong Kong Island in a special election in 2018. To be able to run, she gave up her British citizenship.

Disqualification and Appeal

However, on January 27, 2018, Agnes was not allowed to run. Officials said she could not run because her party supported "self-determination" for Hong Kong. This means the idea that people in Hong Kong should decide their own future. Officials said this went against Hong Kong's basic laws.

Many legal experts said this decision was wrong. They argued that officials should not disqualify candidates based on their political views. If Agnes had been elected, she would have been the youngest lawmaker in Hong Kong's history.

After Agnes was disqualified, another pro-democracy candidate, Au Nok-hin, ran instead and won. Later, in September 2019, Agnes won her appeal. A judge said she didn't have enough chance to explain her views. This meant her ban was overturned. However, because of this ruling, Au Nok-hin lost his seat. Agnes called this a "Pyrrhic victory," meaning a victory that came with a big cost.

Arrests and Moving Away

Agnes Chow has been arrested several times for her activism. These arrests have drawn attention from around the world.

Protests at Police Headquarters

On August 30, 2019, Agnes was arrested at her home. Police said she had participated in and encouraged an unauthorized protest. This protest happened at the Hong Kong Police Headquarters in June 2019. Many other well-known activists were also arrested that day. Agnes was released on bail the same day. However, her phone was taken by the police.

Agnes pleaded guilty to the charges on July 6, 2020. She said she was ready to go to jail. On December 2, 2020, Agnes was sentenced to 10 months in jail. She was held at the Tai Lam Centre for Women. She was released from prison on June 12, 2021, after serving almost seven months. Supporters gathered outside the prison to welcome her.

National Security Law Arrest

Agnes was arrested again on August 10, 2020. This time, it was under the new national security law. She was accused of working with foreign forces. This arrest happened on the same day as many other pro-democracy figures, including media owner Jimmy Lai. Her arrest led to a big online campaign around the world asking for her release. She was released on bail the next day. Agnes said her arrest was "political persecution."

Moving to Canada

On December 3, 2023, Agnes Chow shared an update on Instagram. She announced that she had moved to Canada in September 2023. She went there to study for a master's degree at a university in Toronto. Before leaving, police had returned her passport after she agreed to go on a police-escorted trip to Shenzhen.

Agnes also said she decided not to return to Hong Kong in December to report to the police. She made this choice for her personal safety and well-being. Hong Kong officials said they felt "deceived" by her decision.

Awards and Recognition

Agnes Chow has received several awards for her work:

• She was named one of the BBC's 100 Women on November 23, 2020.
• She was on the Financial Times Magazine’s list of the 25 most influential women of 2021.
• She was on Forbes Japan’s list of the 50 most influential social media accounts on September 25, 2019.

Filmography

• Frontline (2020). Battle For Hong Kong. February 11, 2020. As herself.

See also

In Spanish: Agnes Chow para niños