Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong to run for office

Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong announced plans Saturday to contest local elections and warned that any attempt to disqualify him will only spur more support for monthslong pro-democracy protests.

His announcement came ahead of a major rally later Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Umbrella protests, where he first shot to fame as a youth leader.

During the Umbrella Movement, protesters occupied key thoroughfares in the semiautonomous Chinese territory for 79 days to demand for free elections for the city's leaders but failed to win any concessions.

Wong, 22, said that he will run in district council elections in November and that the vote is crucial to send a message to Beijing that the people are more determined than ever to win the battle for more rights.

"Five years ago, we claimed that we will be back and now we are back with even stronger determination," he told a news conference.

"The battle ahead is the battle for our home and our homeland."
Apart from Saturday's rally in the city center, protesters are also planning global "anti-totalitarianism" rallies on Sunday in Hong Kong and over 60 other cities worldwide to denounce what they called "Chinese tyranny."
Separately, American academic Dan Garrett, who testified at a US congressional hearing with Wong on September 18, said Saturday that he was denied entry into Hong Kong on Thursday due to "unspecified immigration reasons."
US Rep. James McGovern and Sen. Marco Rubio, who are spearheading efforts on the bill, pledged in a joint statement to stand with the people of Hong Kong by "swiftly passing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in the US Congress."