The Other China Emergency

HONG KONG—Well before police surrounded Jackie Chen, pepper-sprayed her face, and led her away with wrists tied, she was a fixture of Hong Kong’s era of dissent. For weeks, she had cautioned officers at demonstrations to let protesters gather in peace, and give people time and space to disperse safely. The social worker, along with her colleagues, acted as witness, counselor, and referee as angry Hong Kongers and police officers faced off, a portable microphone in her hand throughout.

That was back in August, when Hong Kong’s demonstrations were at their peak, a seemingly nonstop showdown between people seeking democratic rights and police seeking unobstructed streets. Rallies have quieted considerably as most residents hunker down at home to avoid being sickened by the novel coronavirus. Smaller protests nevertheless flare, and arrests continue. All the while, court cases against demonstrators grind on, Chen’s included. She was charged with riot and, if convicted, could spend up to seven years in prison.

Chen is among the more than arrested in the campaign that began last June to stop a bill allowing