[Allen:] Protests in Hong Kong have been raging now for more than six months. Ever since the unrest began in June, more than 6,000 demonstrators have been arrested, many students who have risked everything for democracy, including their freedom. CNN's Anna Coren looks at how their arrests are impacting the city's overburdened judicial system.
[Anna Coren, Cnn Correspondent:] On a Sunday afternoon back in October, thousands of Hong Kong protesters take to the streets shouting their demands in the pouring rain. Among the crowd is Matthew [Ph]. It's not his real name. He's asked us to hide his identity.
[Unidentified Male:] We are now here to fight for our freedom, and most importantly to fight for our future.
[Coren:] It's this sense of duty that's driving the protest movement, and for months he's been on the front-line clashing with police. Are you scared about getting arrested?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, of course. I don't want violence to happen. But the government just don't listen to us, so what are we supposed to do? There is only one single option for us, and that is a revolution.
[Coren:] But a week later, Matthew's fight comes to an abrupt end. Undercover police dressed as protesters arrest him. He's charged with possession of offensive weapons, a crime that carries a three-year prison sentence. Out on bail, Matthew agrees to talk to us again. We meet at his friend's cramped apartment. Protest posters cover the walls. The enormity of the situation has sunk in, but he has no regrets about his involvement.
[Unidentified Male:] No, not at all. The only regrets I have is not being careful enough.
[Coren:] For this soft-spoken career professional, he knows the seriousness of his alleged crime means he may end up with a criminal record but says that's a sacrifice he's willing to make for what he believes is a greater cause.
[Unidentified Male:] I believe Hong Kong will have fundamental change and my future has just become insignificant compared to what happened to Hong Kong.
[Coren:] Over the past six months, more than 6,000 protesters have been arrested of which more than 40 percent of them are students. And while a small proportion of them have actually been charged, pro-democracy lawmakers and activists fear Hong Kong will lose a generation of future leaders.
[Ted Hui, Member, Hong Kong Legislative Council:] When people with heart or with ideals and really values what they believe, these are people with quality. They are the future of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong government is treating them damaging them, put them into rooms.
[Coren:] Almost a thousand protesters have been charged with offenses ranging from unlawful assembly to the more serious crimes of rioting, assault, and arson. A third of them are students. Legal experts believe the court system is not equipped to handle the sheer volume of trials, the first scheduled to start early next year. And if the majority of protesters are convicted, there's concern the prison system will be overloaded. The Hong Kong police tell CNN they want to see further prosecutions and say the only thing holding them up is the slow speed of the courts.
[Johannes Chan, Chair Professor Of Law, University Of Hong Kong:] At the moment, weapon don't know how many more will be charged or what offenses they will be charged. This is not just the court but even the police and the prosecutions are not ready. But it just shows this is not only the strains on the judiciary but the prosecution and the police are not even prepared to handle all this mess.
[Coren:] We catch up with Matthew just before his court appearance. He's feeling nervous. But while he and hundreds of front liners like him may end up behind bars, he's confident the fight for Hong Kong will continue in his absence.
[Unidentified Male:] After six months, we have already given so much on the protests. So many people got arrested. So many people got beaten up, and life has been sacrificed. We just cannot stop right now.
[Coren:] Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.
[Allen:] And joining me now to talk about the situation is Holden Chow from Hong Kong. He's a member of the legislative council and vice chairman of the pro-establishment DAB Alliance. Thank you so much for joining us, Mr. Chow.
[Holden Chow, Vice-chairman, Dab:] Thank you, Natalie. Thank you.
[Allen:] Sure thing. Well, strong sentiments from that young man there in that report. You know, what he said, I don't want violence, but the government just doesn't listen to us, so what are we supposed to do? The only single option for us is a revolution. What is your response to a statement and a sentiment like that?
[Chow:] Well, with due respect, I beg to differ. With whatever reason you cannot resort to violence because if you resort to violence, you end up with a mess. We end up with six months turmoil and eventually if the violence carry on, it will break the city. And it's sad to see that the youngsters coming out to commit sort of riots or commit violence and people get injured, not only the police but also the protesters. So, I think nobody wants to see anybody get injured, and of course one more thing to say even if you have any kind of resentment, if everybody follows the logic that you resort to violence, eventually it will break the city. And everybody got a price to pay. So, I'm against the very idea of the escalating violence committed by these people.
[Allen:] Well, they say that they won't do this if the government will listen. What about that?
[Chow:] Well, I think they have different demands. They have the so- called five demands. But to be very honest, I've been talking about this for a long time. To resolve this conflict, one of the ways to resolve it is by dialogue, but by dialogue, you also have to talk to these people and say if we can find some way in the middle to resolve this conflict, you know, for the people who raise the five demands, even if the government makes some kind of concession to any of the demands there for example, people say they are calling for setting up an independent inquiry into the police. But even if the government does so, does it mean that is able to pacify the crowd? You know, in the past we've seen that when the people call for withdrawal of the extradition bill, the bill was withdrawn. But they don't count it. And later on, they have some other demands coming up, and they even called for sort of dissolving the police. But how could the government respond to this sort of demand? So, I think if people could calm down and try to find a solution in the middle, I think that's the way out. But if they insist on their sort of five demands, not one less, and they insist on that kind of stance and with the hostility towards the government, sadly I don't see there's a way out. It's not a good way to solve the problem right now.
[Allen:] Yes. Last question for you. Could you ever imagine it would be this bad when this started?
[Chow:] Well, I think nobody could actually imagine the situation turn very worse like the situation now. But what happened is, I would say, even for the opposition camp, the Democrats, their leaders, their lawmakers, I think they have responsibility too because they are political leaders. They are supposed to lead the public opinion or sway the public. But sadly when all this violence erupted, when the breaks or the petrol bombs being thrown everywhere in the city, when people get injured, they simply turn a blind eye to everything, and they just even don't condemn or they try to find excuses for this violence, and they are the political leaders. They are supposed to sway the public opinion. Now sadly, I think they lead the public to believe that the violence is inevitable, is acceptable, and that's why that's one of the reasons why we end up with that mess today.
[Allen:] We'll see what happens next in this struggle. Certainly, something has to be remedied. We appreciate your insights. Thank you, Holden Chow, for us in Hong Kong.
[Chow:] Thank you.
[Allen:] Well, emergency teams are trying to contain an oil spill on the Galapagos Islands. Officials there say the disaster happened Sunday. Watch what happens here when a cargo vessel overturned in San Cristobal. Local media report no one was injured, but you can see what's about to happen as crew members jumped off the ship as it began to capsize. The Galapagos Islands are about 1,000 kilometers west of Ecuador. They're regarded as one of the most ecologically important places on the planet. Well, if you're watching internationally, thank you for being with us. African Voices Change Makers is next for you. If you're joining us in the United States, I'll be right back with more news.