"Disperse or we fire."
The police banner at a recent crackdown on Hong Kong protesters sent a chill through William Wong. All he could think was, “Please don't do anything to hurt the students.”
"They are ready to fire," the Burnaby dentist says. "If you weren't planning to fire, you wouldn't prepare the sign to shoot the people."
Ominous signs like this have Wong on edge, worried another Tiananmen-style massacre may unfold in Hong Kong, the region his parents left behind when he was just a teen.
"It really triggers déjà vu from Tiananmen Square," he says. "The scary thing about the communist government is to control the people, they have to use force or use people against people."
The 43-year-old, dressed in pale blue dentist scrubs, talks with the NOW in the lobby of his Hastings Street dental clinic after hours. His sister is outside, collecting last-minute signatures on a petition calling for Canada to denounce the violence and consider trade sanctions against China. The siblings need to deliver the signatures to Kennedy Stewart's office by 5 p.m. so the Burnaby-Douglas MP can take them to Ottawa and raise the issue in the House of Commons.
At the heart of the conflict is China's plan to handpick candidates for Hong Kong's 2017 election, something that doesn't sit well with Wong.
"They let you vote, but they control the candidate," he says. "It's fake. It's a fake election."
The pro-democracy demonstrations began two weeks ago. The protesters are under attack by police, using tear gas, and by counter-protesters, who some believe are linked to the government.
Every year, Wong goes back to Hong Kong to visit family, and he's noticed China tightening its grip on the region's affairs. This deepens Wong’s appreciation for Canada.
"I really think we should cherish the democratic system in Canada," he says.
While tens of thousands of demonstrators have been calling for free elections half a world away, Canada's voter participation remains embarrassingly low.
In the last federal election, only 61 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots. Provincially, the numbers were lower, at 55 per cent in 2013. Civic elections are the worst with roughly 30 per cent turnout across B.C.
Wong, however, votes in every election - federal, provincial and municipal.
"Many people in the world don't have a chance to vote," he adds.
The Chinese government gave protesters a Monday deadline to clear the streets, and according to the BBC, their numbers have shrunk to 1,000 as student leaders negotiate with government officials.
Wong sees that as a hopeful sign, but he still worries things could turn violent.
"The bottom line is the Chinese government doesn't want to give too much freedom for the vote in 2017," he says.
"They have already got the message the whole world is watching, and the whole world does not want to see another Tiananmen Square massacre again."
