About Us

Demosistō aims to achieve democratic self-determination in Hong Kong. Through direct action, popular referenda, and non-violent means, we push for the city’s political and economic autonomy from the oppression of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and capitalist hegemony.

We are developing a new civic engagement platform for political discussion among citizens to encourage grassroots social movements and to strengthen interaction across all sectors of civil society. We trust the community to realise the common good and to build a city of multiplicity, equality, and justice.

Contact

Organisation Headquarters

Email: [email protected]

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Our Name

Demosistō

Demos (ˈdeː.mɔs), its origin from Latin and Ancient Greek δῆμος, carries the meaning of "the people", "the commoners" and "the citizens", and constitutes the etymological roots of the widely used term democracy in English today.

While democracy, or, δημοκρατία ‎("dēmokratía") in Ancient Greek, represents the "krátos of the dêmos" (the rule of the people), we believe that the key leading us to this final goal lies in an essential stage of perseverance, struggle and endeavour - the rising up of the people - and that, is what defines our mission.

Sistō̄ (ˈsɪs.toː) is a Latin word, first person singular, for standing - standing up, standing still, standing firm. What we imply is that it is we who are the demos, and it is we who shall stand and fight, even if we shall be the last one to stand alone.

Together, Demosistō represents our mission to recognise, to awaken, and to mobilise each and every member of the community of Hong Kong in rising up against injustice. Through embodying the people of Hong Kong, we strive to stand up in our resistance against tyranny and hegemony. We strive to stand firm in our persistence of the struggle for liberation from oppression. We strive to stand still in our insistence on freedom and equality.

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Our Logo

The logo of Demosistō is based on the idea of "finding a way out of the tunnel", reflecting our hopes of going through and deliberating from the difficult situation that Hong Kong is facing right now together with our fellow citizens. The coloured and the white spaces in the design depict the walls and the exit of the tunnel respectively, symbolising hope and a path with direction. The overall shape of the logo recalls that of the letter "D", the initial of the name our organisation, Demosistō.

Our Manifesto

Since the 1997 Handover, Hong Kong has been under the authoritarian rule of the CPC and capitalist hegemony. Hong Kongers have demonstrated steadfast resistance to our exploitative socio-economic system through the anti-Article 23 rally of 2003 and the anti-High Speed Rail movement of 2010. These protests have molded society by creating a path for future mass movements in Hong Kong.

During the 2012 anti-National Education Campaign, students rose up and successfully forced the government to repeal an education curriculum that whitewashed communist history. Two years later, the Umbrella Movement arose in response to the CPC’s broken promise of political reform. This movement redefined Hong Kong, and brought the city into a new era: an era of resistance.

Hong Kongers have been on a long and winding road for the pursuit of justice, but we have never succumbed to our failures. Fighting against totalitarianism is like sailing against the current: we must stay the course with hope and tenacity for our dream of self-determination.

Demosistō was founded to lead this journey: to unite citizens with the goal of obtaining autonomy for our city. Together in perseverance, we embark upon the age of resistance to build a better future for Hong Kong. Together in solidarity, we stand united to overcome our oppressors.. Together in resolve, we will ignite the flames of courage, passion, and perseverance.

We are the People. We are the Demos.

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