Joshua Wong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joshua Wong
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黃之鋒
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Wong in 2019
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| Secretary-General of Demosistō | |||||||||||||
| In office 10 April 2016 – 30 June 2020 |
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| Deputy | Agnes Chow Kwok Hei-yiu Chan Kok-hin |
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| Chairman | Nathan Law Ivan Lam |
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| Preceded by | Office established | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Party dissolved | ||||||||||||
| Convenor of Scholarism | |||||||||||||
| In office 29 May 2011 – 20 March 2016 |
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| Deputy | Agnes Chow | ||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Office established | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Merge into Demosistō | ||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||
| Born |
Wong Chi-fung
13 October 1996 British Hong Kong |
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| Political party | Demosistō (2016–2020) | ||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations |
Scholarism (2012–2016) | ||||||||||||
| Education | Open University of Hong Kong | ||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 黃之鋒 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 黄之锋 | ||||||||||||
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Joshua Wong Chi-fung (Chinese: 黃之鋒; Cantonese Yale: Wòhng Jīfūng; born on October 13, 1996) is a well-known activist and politician from Hong Kong. He is famous for supporting democracy and for leading student movements.
He was the secretary-general of a political group called Demosistō. This group stopped operating on June 30, 2020, after a new national security law was put in place in Hong Kong. Before that, Joshua Wong started and led a student activist group called Scholarism.
Joshua Wong became known around the world during the 2014 Hong Kong protests, also known as the Umbrella Movement. Because of his important role, Time magazine named him one of the Most Influential Teens in 2014. Fortune magazine also called him one of the "world's greatest leaders" in 2015.
He has faced legal challenges for his activism. In August 2017, he was jailed for his part in protests at Civic Square in 2014. He was jailed again in January 2018 for not following a court order during the 2014 protests. He also helped convince U.S. lawmakers to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests.
The Hong Kong government stopped him from running in local elections. In June 2020, he announced he would run for a seat in the Legislative Council, but his application was rejected in July 2020. In December 2020, he was jailed for over a year for an unauthorized protest. In 2024, a Hong Kong court sentenced him to 4 years and 8 months in jail for subversion under the national security law.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Joshua Wong was born in Hong Kong on October 13, 1996. When he was young, he was diagnosed with dyslexia, which is a learning difficulty that affects reading. His parents, Grace and Roger Wong, raised him as a Christian.
His father, who used to work in IT, influenced Joshua's early interest in social issues. His father often took him to visit communities that needed help. Joshua went to United Christian College (Kowloon East), a private Christian school. There, he learned how to organize and speak in public by being involved in church groups.
He later studied political science at the Open University of Hong Kong. Because of his activism, he took breaks from his studies but remained a student until 2019.
Student Activism (2010–2016)
First Steps in Activism
Joshua Wong first took part in political protests in 2010. These protests were against a new high-speed rail link in Hong Kong.
On May 29, 2011, Joshua Wong and his school friend Ivan Lam Long-yin started a student group called Scholarism. At first, the group used simple ways to protest, like handing out flyers against a new school subject called "moral and national education" (MNE). This subject was seen by some as trying to make students more loyal to mainland China.
Over time, Scholarism grew bigger and more influential. In 2012, the group organized a large protest that more than 100,000 people attended. Joshua Wong became widely known as the leader of this group.
Leading the Umbrella Movement
In June 2014, Scholarism created a plan to change Hong Kong's election system. They wanted to achieve "universal suffrage," which means everyone can vote for their leaders. They strongly believed that citizens should be able to nominate candidates for the 2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive election. As a student leader, Wong started a student strike to send a message to Beijing about democracy.
On September 27, 2014, Joshua Wong was one of 78 people arrested by the police during a large pro-democracy protest. This happened after hundreds of students gathered at Civic Square to protest Beijing's decision on Hong Kong's election reforms. Wong was released after 46 hours in custody.
During the protests, Wong said that the movement would end if the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, CY Leung, accepted their demands. He also said that "People should not be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of their people."
On November 27, 2014, Wong was charged with stopping officials from clearing one of the protest areas. His lawyer said the charge was politically motivated. He was also banned from a large part of Mong Kok, a protest site. Wong claimed that police hit him and tried to hurt him during his arrest.
After a court appearance on November 27, 2014, two people threw eggs at him. They were arrested and later fined. On December 2, 2014, Wong and two other students started a hunger strike to demand new talks with the Hong Kong government. He stopped the hunger strike after four days on medical advice.
After the Occupy Protests
On January 16, 2015, Wong was arrested and held for three hours. This was for his alleged involvement in calling for and taking part in an unauthorized gathering.
In May 2015, Wong was not allowed to enter Malaysia at Penang International Airport. Officials said he was a "threat to Malaysia's ties with China" because of his role in the 2014 Hong Kong protests.
On June 28, 2015, Wong and his girlfriend were attacked by an unknown man in Mong Kok. They both went to the hospital, and Wong had injuries to his nose and eyes. No one was arrested.
On August 19, 2015, Wong was officially charged with encouraging others to join an unlawful assembly and joining one himself. This was along with Alex Chow, another student leader.
When he traveled to Taiwan for a political event, some protesters tried to attack Wong at the airport. Police had to protect him. It was later found that local gangsters were involved.
Detained in Thailand
On October 5, 2016, Joshua Wong was detained when he arrived in Thailand. He had been invited to speak about his experiences with the Umbrella Movement. A Thai student activist who invited Wong said that Thai authorities had received a request from the Chinese government about Wong's visit.
After almost 12 hours, Wong was sent back to Hong Kong. He said that authorities told him he was on a blacklist. Hong Kong Legislator Claudia Mo called the incident "despicable." She said it showed that if Beijing sees someone as dangerous, it could happen to anyone.
Wong eventually spoke to the Thai audience from Hong Kong using Skype.
Political Career (2016–2020)
Starting Demosistō
In April 2016, Joshua Wong started a new political party called Demosistō. He founded it with other Scholarism leaders like Agnes Chow and Oscar Lai. The original student group Scholarism had been closed down.
The new party wanted a public vote to decide Hong Kong's future after 2047. That is when the "one country, two systems" principle, which gives Hong Kong its special freedoms, is set to expire. As the first secretary-general of Demosistō, Wong also planned to run in the 2016 Legislative Council election. However, he was only 19, and the law required candidates to be at least 21. He tried to challenge this law but was not successful.
Role in 2019–2020 Hong Kong Protests
Joshua Wong was released from jail just as the protests against an extradition bill were happening. After his release, Wong criticized the police and called for the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, to resign. He also spoke out against the extradition bill, which he saw as favoring Beijing.
Wong did not join the protesters who broke into the Legislative Council building on July 1. However, he explained that people entered the building because the council was "never democratically elected by people."
He was arrested again on August 29, 2019, the day before a planned protest that was not approved by the city.
On September 9, Wong met with the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. China's Foreign Ministry said this meeting showed "disrespect of China's sovereignty."
On September 17, Wong and other student activists spoke at a meeting in the United States Capitol. He said that the Chinese government should not take all the economic benefits from Hong Kong while attacking its freedom. He also asked the U.S. Congress to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, met with Wong on September 18. Chinese media strongly criticized Pelosi for this meeting.
2019 Election Controversy
On October 29, 2019, Joshua Wong was stopped from running in the upcoming district council elections. Many people, including Wong himself, believed that the Chinese and Hong Kong governments pressured officials to disqualify him.
National Security Law and Demosistō's End
On June 30, 2020, Wong, along with Agnes Chow and Nathan Law, announced they had left Demosistō. They did this because of the risks of being charged under the new national security law enacted by China. Hours later, Demosistō announced it was stopping all its activities.
2020 Legislative Election
In June 2020, Wong announced he would run for a seat in the Legislative Council in the upcoming election. He applied on July 20, 2020, but his application was rejected on July 30, 2020, along with 11 other pro-democracy figures.
Other Activities
In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests in the United States, Wong supported the Black Lives Matter movement. He also spoke out against police brutality in the U.S. In the same month, he called American basketball player Lebron James "hypocritical" for focusing only on U.S. issues and not speaking about issues in China.
Imprisonments
Jail Time in 2017
Wong, along with two other student leaders, Nathan Law and Alex Chow, were jailed for six to eight months on August 17, 2017. This was for unlawful assembly and encouraging unlawful assembly at Civic Square during a protest in 2014. These sentences stopped them from running for public office for five years.
On September 28, 2017, Wong began writing columns for The Guardian from Pik Uk Correctional Institution. He said he was proud of his commitment to the Umbrella Movement.
On October 13, 2017, Wong was found guilty of contempt of court. This was for blocking a court order to clear part of the Occupy Central protest zone in Mong Kok in October 2014.
On January 18, 2018, Wong was sentenced to three months in jail for his October 2017 conviction.
Jail Time in 2019
Wong was sentenced to two months in prison on May 16, 2019. This was for his involvement in events on November 26, 2014, in Mong Kok, where protesters opposed the police during the Umbrella Revolution.
Joshua Wong was released on June 17, 2019, after about a month in jail. He had already served some time related to this case in 2018.
Jail Time Starting in 2020
On September 24, 2020, Wong was arrested when he went to a police station for another case. He was charged with "unlawful assembly" for taking part in a 2019 protest against a government ban on face masks. He was temporarily released on bail on September 30.
On November 23, 2020, Wong appeared in court with Ivan Lam Long-yin and Agnes Chow Ting. They were facing trial for their roles in a protest on June 21, 2019. The three pleaded guilty and were held in custody until their sentencing on December 2, 2020. Wong said they were ready to go to jail and hoped their actions would bring global attention to Hong Kong's justice system.
On December 2, 2020, Wong was found guilty of organizing and encouraging an unlawful assembly. He was sentenced to 1 year and 1 month in prison. The judge said that the sentence should stop people from offending again. Amnesty International criticized the sentencing.
In January 2021, it was reported that Wong's family had moved to Australia.
On January 29, 2021, Wong pleaded guilty to two more charges related to a rally on Hong Kong Island on October 5, 2019. These charges were for taking part in an unauthorized assembly and wearing a face covering during it.
On April 13, 2021, Wong was sentenced to four months in jail for unauthorized assembly and breaking an anti-mask law.
On May 6, 2021, the Hong Kong District Court sentenced Wong to ten more months in prison. This was for taking part in an unauthorized assembly to mark the 2020 anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
On April 17, 2023, Wong was sentenced to another three months in prison. This was after he was found guilty of sharing personal details of a police officer who shot at a protester.
A 2023 book called Among the Braves stated that Wong had asked for U.S. political asylum in 2020. However, his request was denied.
On June 6, 2025, Wong was arrested in Stanley Prison and brought to court. He was accused of working with foreign forces, which is a crime under the national security law. The accusation mentioned working with Nathan Law and "other unknown persons" between July 1 and November 23, 2020, to ask foreign powers to put sanctions on Hong Kong or China.
International Reactions to the 2020 Imprisonment
Many countries and organizations expressed concern about Joshua Wong's imprisonment in 2020.
United States
US House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that China's sentencing of these young democracy activists was "appalling." She asked the world to speak out against this "unjust sentencing." US Senator Marsha Blackburn said the sentence destroyed "any semblance of autonomy in Hong Kong." US State Secretary Michael Pompeo also criticized the prison term.
United Kingdom
UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab urged Hong Kong and Beijing authorities to stop trying to silence opposition.
Japan
Japan's government spokesperson Katsunobu Kato expressed Japan's "increasingly grave concerns about the recent Hong Kong situation."
Taiwan
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) in Taiwan said that the decision to imprison Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam showed that the Hong Kong government failed to protect people's political rights and freedom of speech.
Germany
Maria Adebahr, a German foreign ministry spokesperson, said that the prison terms were "another building block in a series of worrisome developments" regarding human rights in Hong Kong.
Jail Time Under National Security Law
On January 6, 2021, Wong was among 53 pro-democracy activists who were arrested under the national security law. They were accused of subversion for organizing and taking part in primary elections in July 2020. Wong's home was searched while he was detained. On February 28, 2021, Wong was formally charged with subversion, along with 46 others.
In 2024, after a national security trial in Hong Kong, Wong was sentenced to jail for subversion. The court sentenced him to 4 years and 8 months in jail.
Books
- Unfree Speech: The Threat to Global Democracy and Why We Must Act, Now. With Jason Y. Ng. London: Penguin Books, 2020.
In the Media
Joshua Wong has appeared in several non-fiction films, including:
- Lessons in Dissent, 2014
- Umbrella Revolution: History as Mirror Reflection, 2015
- Raise the Umbrellas, 2016
- Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower, 2017
- Last Exit to Kai Tak, 2018
Awards
- The Times – Young Person of the Year, 2014
- AFP – 10 Most Influential People, 2014
- YAHOO Top Ten Search Ranking – No.1 (Hong Kong), 2014
- TIME – Person of the Year 2014 (Reader's Poll – 3rd place), 2014
- Foreign Policy – 100 Leading Global Thinkers, 2014
- TIME – The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014
- TIME Cover (Asia Edition), 2014
- Fortune – World's 50 Greatest Leaders (10th place), 2015
- Nobel Peace Prize 2018 nomination, with Nathan Law, Alex Chow and the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong, by the United States' Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) (press release)
Images for kids
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Wong led a protest against Moral and national education in 2012
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Wong giving an interview in October 2014, during the Umbrella Movement
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Wong speaks at the United States Capitol in 2019
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Joshua Wong was banned from the election by the government of Hong Kong on 29 October 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Joshua Wong para niños
