CRACKDOWN

Pro-Democracy Activist Joshua Wong Arrested in Hong Kong

He was reportedly “pushed into a private minivan on the street” while walking to a train station.

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was arrested Friday morning ahead of a planned protest, according to a statement from the pro-democracy party he founded, Demosisto. Hong Kong police confirmed that Wong had been arrested and is being investigated for his role in an unauthorized protest outside a police station on June 21. Wong faces potential charges of participating in the demonstration and inciting others to participate, according to police. Demosisto said Wong, 22, had been “forcefully pushed into a private minivan on the street” while walking to a train station. The Guardian reports that two other prominent pro-democracy figures, Agnes Chow and Andy Chan, were also arrested in an apparent crackdown on the months-long protests that were sparked by a controversial extradition bill in June. The arrests come ahead of an unapproved protest Friday and a mass student boycott next week. Organizers of a major demonstration Saturday canceled the event out of concern for the physical and legal safety of participants after they were denied permission to hold it.