Student leader in Hong Kong condemns state violence in Catalonia

One of the most recognizable faces of the pro-democracy student movement in Hong Kong, Joshua Wong, has expressed his concerns over the ''excessive use of force by the police'' in Catalonia. 

In a week of altercations throughout Catalonia after the verdict of the independence trial was released, in which nine of the leaders behind the 2017 referendum were condemned to jail sentences of between nine and thirteen years, police were seen to beat protesters, and fire foam and rubber bullets which have led to four people losing sight in one eye. 

In a declaration to Catalan News, Wong has condemned ''state violence'' and defended that ''people in Hong Kong and Catalonia both deserve their right to determine their own destiny.''

The student, aged 23, broke to the fore of Hong Kong politics in 2014 for his role in the Umbrella Movement. Now he is secretary general of Demosistō, a political party that defends the rights of citizens of Hong Kong and is in favour of holding a referendum over Hong Kong independence from China. In 2018, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.