Our society has witnessed countless social movements in the recent years that seek to challenge authoritarian regimes and fight for freedom. Take the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (Anti-ELAB) protests for example, which I personally experienced. Millions of people occupied the streets of Hong Kong, it made a hot topic on international news, and yet things did not quite go as planned. Many would “judge” the movement as a “failure”, as the requirements from the participants weren’t met. Instead of a big success (as in tangible institutional changes etc.), what we faced were heavier restrictions by the Chinese government. However, how do we actually measure the success or failure of social movements? And more importantly, what can we, as civil society organizations and more institutionalised actors do to help?
