52 Facts About Joshua Wong

Joshua Wong Chi-fung is a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and politician.

Joshua Wong served as secretary-general of the pro-democracy party Demosisto until it disbanded following implementation of the Hong Kong national security law on 30 June 2020.

Joshua Wong first rose to international prominence during the 2014 Hong Kong protests, and his pivotal role in the Umbrella Movement resulted in his inclusion in Time magazine's Most Influential Teens of 2014 and nomination for its 2014 Person of the Year; he was named one of the "world's greatest leaders" by Fortune magazine in 2015, and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.

Joshua Wong was disqualified by the Hong Kong government from running in forthcoming District Council elections.

In December 2020, Joshua Wong was convicted and jailed for more than a year over an unauthorised protest outside police headquarters in June 2019.

Joshua Wong was born in Hong Kong on 13 October 1996, and was diagnosed with dyslexia in early childhood.

The son of middle-class couple Grace and Roger Joshua Wong, Joshua Wong was raised as a Protestant Christian in the Lutheran tradition.

Joshua Wong's early interest in social activism was influenced by his father, a retired IT professional, who was a convener of a local anti-gay marriage initiative and often took him to visit underprivileged communities.

Joshua Wong studied at the United Christian College, a private Christian secondary school in Kowloon, and developed organisational and public speaking skills through involvement in church groups.

Joshua Wong pursued undergraduate studies at the Open University of Hong Kong, having enrolled in a bachelor's degree in political studies and public administration.

In time Joshua Wong's group grew in both size and influence, and in 2012 managed to organise a political rally attended by over 100,000 people.

On 27 September 2014, Joshua Wong was one of the 78 people arrested by the police during a massive pro-democracy protest, after hundreds of students occupied Civic Square in front of the Central Government Complex as a sign of protest against Beijing's decision on the 2014 Hong Kong electoral reform.

Unlike fellow protesters, only in response to a court order obtained by writ of habeas corpus was Joshua Wong released by police, after 46 hours in custody.

Joshua Wong in turn denied every detail in the report through a statement that he subsequently posted online.

Joshua Wong was charged on 27 November 2014 with obstructing a bailiff clearing one of Hong Kong's three protest areas.

Joshua Wong was banned from a large part of Mong Kok, one of the protester-occupied sites, as one of the bail conditions.

Joshua Wong claimed that police beat him and tried to injure his groin as he was arrested, and taunted and swore at him while he was in custody.

Joshua Wong decided to end the hunger strike after four days on medical advice.

Joshua Wong was arrested and held for three hours on Friday, 16 January 2015, for his alleged involvement in offences of calling for, inciting and participating in an unauthorised assembly.

Joshua Wong was denied entry into Malaysia at Penang International Airport, on 26 May 2015, on the basis that he was considered "a threat to Malaysia's ties with China", largely due to his supposed "anti-China" stance in participating in the 2014 Hong Kong protests.

On 19 August 2015, Joshua Wong was formally charged by the Hong Kong Department of Justice with inciting other people to join an unlawful assembly and joining an unlawful assembly, alongside Alex Chow, the former leader of the Hong Kong Federation of Students.

Joshua Wong was detained on arrival in Thailand on 5 October 2016.

Joshua Wong had been invited to speak about his Umbrella Movement experience at an event marking the 40th anniversary of the Thammasat University massacre, hosted by Chulalongkorn University.

Joshua Wong eventually spoke with a Thai audience from Hong Kong via Skype.

Joshua Wong was still only 19 and being below the statutory minimum age of 21 for candidacy, he filed an application for judicial review of the election law, in October 2015.

Joshua Wong's release coincided with the ongoing protests against extradition bill.

Joshua Wong was then arrested again on 29 August 2019 the day before a planned demonstration, which was not given city approval.

Joshua Wong said that the Chinese government should not grab all the economic benefit from Hong Kong, while attacking the freedom of Hong Kong.

Joshua Wong urged the US Congress to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.

In October 2019, Joshua Wong met with Thai opposition politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit at the Open Future Festival.

Thanathorn issued a statement denying any relationship with Joshua Wong and stating that he supports China playing a bigger role both regionally and globally.

On 29 October 2019, Joshua Wong was barred from running in forthcoming district council elections in the South Horizons West constituency by returning officer Laura Liang Aron, who temporarily took over for Dorothy Ma Chau Pui-fun after the latter took sick leave.

In June 2020, Joshua Wong announced he would run for a Legislative Council seat in the upcoming election, and officially applied on 20 July 2020, before his nomination was invalidated on 30 July 2020 along with that of 11 other pro-democracy figures.

In June 2020 during the George Floyd protests, Joshua Wong voiced his support for the Black Lives Matter movement and opposition to police brutality in the United States.

On 13 October 2017, Joshua Wong was convicted with 19 others of contempt of court for obstructing execution of the court's order for clearance of part of the Occupy Central protest zone in Mong Kok in October 2014.

On 18 January 2018, Joshua Wong was sentenced by Mr Justice Andrew H C Chan of the High Court to three months' imprisonment in respect of his October 2017 conviction for contempt of court.

Joshua Wong was sentenced to two months of prison on 16 May 2019, for his involvement in events on 26 November 2014 in Mong Kok, an area in Hong Kong, where demonstrators opposed the police during the Umbrella revolution.

Joshua Wong was released on 17 June 2019, after just around a month time in jail because he had already served some time associated to this case back in 2018, thus adding up to a total of two months' term.

On 24 September 2020, Joshua Wong was arrested when he reported to a police station regarding another case against him.

Joshua Wong was charged with "unlawful assembly", which was related to his participation in the 2019 protest against a government ban on face masks, where he was said to have violated the anti-mask law of Hong Kong.

On 23 November 2020, Joshua Wong appeared with Ivan Lam Long-yin and Agnes Chow Ting in the West Kowloon District Court, where they had been expected to stand trial over their roles in the anti extradition bill protest on 21 June 2019.

Joshua Wong was charged with organising an unauthorised assembly and of inciting others to take part in the event.

On 2 December 2020, Joshua Wong was found guilty of organising and inciting unlawful assembly, but not guilty of taking part in it.

Joshua Wong was sentenced to 1 year and 1 month in prison.

West Kowloon Magistrate Joshua Wong Sze-lai, stated: "The defendants called on protesters to besiege the headquarters and chanted slogans that undermine the police force".

On 29 January 2021, Joshua Wong pleaded guilty to two additional charges related to his involvement in a rally on Hong Kong Island on 5 October 2019: taking part in an unauthorised assembly and wearing a facial covering during an unauthorised assembly.

On 13 April 2021, Joshua Wong was sentenced to four months in jail for unauthorised assembly and violating an anti-mask law.

On 17 April 2023, Joshua Wong was sentenced to further three months in prison after being convicted of disclosing personal details of a police officer who shot live rounds against a protester in Sai Wan Ho.

The 2023 book Among the Braves by journalists Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin states that Joshua Wong had requested US political asylum in 2020 but, according to a National Security Council official, his bid was denied despite the risk of Joshua Wong being jailed because the State Department under Mike Pompeo had considered national interests in relation to China as having priority.

On 6 January 2021, Joshua Wong was among 53 members of the pro-democratic camp who were arrested under the national security law, specifically its provision regarding alleged subversion.

On 28 February 2021, Joshua Wong was formally charged, along with 46 others for subversion.

In 2024, following a national security trial in Hong Kong, Joshua Wong was sentenced to jail for subversion.