The people of Hong Kong are angry.

On Wednesday, September 26, a number of student groups took to the streets of Hong Kong to protest against Beijing’s plans for the 2017 Hong Kong elections. While peaceful demonstrations are not uncommon in the city, things began to escalate when protestors—a majority of them university students—began to occupy the streets of Hong Kong’s main financial district.

Hong Kong police began to crack down on the protestors, shooting rubber bullets and releasing tear gas on the streets—a scene reminiscent of the demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri last August.

When Hong Kong was handed over to the People’s Republic of China in 1997 by the United Kingdom, the city was allowed to keep its autonomy, resulting in a policy called “one country, two systems.” This meant that although the city is still sovereign to China and its government, they were allowed to have their own government (although their leader, the chief executive, is still appointed by a pro-Beijing committee), have their own judiciary system and their own financial system. Hong Kong residents also enjoy rights that their mainland counterparts do not, such as the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press and the right to assemble and demonstrate.

Also in 1997, the Chinese government promised that in 2017, the people of Hong Kong could vote for their government leader in a democratic process, which Hong Kong residents called their right to “universal suffrage.”

Many have doubted China’s ability to keep that promise. And true enough, in August of this year, the Chinese government announced that while Hong Kong citizens will vote for their leader in 2017, candidates will have to be approved by a special committee, a process that is eerily similar to how Hong Kong’s chief executive is picked now.

It is understandable why the citizens of Hong Kong have decided to take to the streets. Hong Kong residents want the freedom to choose their own leaders, leaders who are not tied down to the Communist Party of China. Aside from the fact that the democracy that they were promised almost 20 years ago seems to be no more than a false one, residents also fear that the rights and freedoms that they enjoy in their city may be easily taken away by Beijing.

These protests are not just a fight for democracy; they are also a fight for freedom. Hong Kong is fighting for the freedom to choose whom they want to be ruled by and how they want to be ruled.

But Hong Kong’s fight for democracy will not be an easy one. China’s government is notorious for cracking down on dissidents, whether they are protesting on the streets of Beijing or on social media.

History has proven, however, that these types of demonstrations have been successful. There was the Arab Spring, wherein several leaders from Arabic countries were ousted and national elections were held. There was the Occupy movement, which was a series of demonstrations around the world for social and financial equality. And of course, there was the People Power Revolution of 1986, which ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos and brought back democracy to the Philippines.

But it is doubtful whether China’s government will listen to these protestors, considering their track record. Still, I am hopeful. I am glad that Hong Kong residents have decided to take matters into their own hands, to take to the streets to fight for the democracy that many of us have started to take for granted.