Jennifer Lee : These are tough times for idealistic pro - democracy protesters in Hong Kong . The Hong Kong students , in contrast to the Tiananmen Square protesters , are not demanding that China become a democratic country . Ghitis : Let 's hope there wo n't be a repeat of Tiananmen Square protests . She says China is unwilling to allow flexibility , so protesters have few options . Ghitis : Even if the protest leads to Chinese crackdown , other nations will unlikely to intervene .
Jennifer Lee : These are tough times for idealistic pro - democracy protesters in Hong Kong . Ghitis : Let 's hope there wo n't be a repeat of Tiananmen Square protests . She says China is unwilling to allow flexibility , so protesters have few options . Ghitis : Even if the protest leads to Chinese crackdown , other nations will unlikely to intervene .