Ep. 450 — Nathan Law
The Axe Files with David Axelrod
CNN
4.6 • 7.7K Ratings
🗓️ 1 July 2021
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As an architect of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Umbrella Movement, Nathan Law first tried to keep his activism a secret from his mother. But before long she saw police arresting him at a protest on live television. Since then, Law has been elected to political office, served time in prison and fled to London where he has been granted asylum. He joined David to talk about his upbringing and path to disenchantment with Beijing, threats to democracy in Hong Kong and the US, and leaving behind his family and the city that he loves—possibly forever.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | And now, from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN Audio, the Axe Files, |
| 0:12.5 | with your host, David Axelrod. |
| 0:18.9 | As we prepare for the Independence Day weekend, there's someone I want you to meet. |
| 0:23.1 | His name is Nathan Law, a leader of the Democracy Movement in Hong Kong. |
| 0:27.4 | And in his young life, he already has endured prison, and is living in exile in London. |
| 0:32.1 | As China continues its brutal crackdown on freedom fighters in Hong Kong. |
| 0:36.8 | We saw another turn of the wheel the other day, when the government shut down Hong Kong's |
| 0:41.0 | largest pro-democracy newspaper, jailing its publisher, and several journalists. |
| 0:45.8 | This happened after our conversation. |
| 0:48.2 | So enjoy your weekend with family and friends. |
| 0:50.5 | God knows how much we all have been looking forward to that. |
| 0:53.2 | But I hope you also find time to listen to Nathan Law and reflect on the sacrifices he |
| 0:58.0 | and his compatriots are making. |
| 1:00.0 | To win the freedom and democracy, we Americans too often take for granted. |
| 1:11.8 | Nathan Law, it's so good to see you. |
| 1:14.8 | Welcome. |
| 1:15.8 | Welcome to the Axe Files. |
| 1:16.8 | Thank you for your time at the Institute of Politics. |
| 1:20.2 | No, thank you so much David for the invitation. |
| 1:23.2 | It's been a meaningful quarter for me. |
| 1:25.8 | This is the first time that I have a teaching role to instruct students about my activism |
| 1:32.0 | and stories of Hong Kong. |
... |
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