Lester Shum is a prominent activist and former student leader who emerged as a key figure in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. He was born in New York, USA, and raised in Hong Kong. He first gained prominence as the deputy secretary-general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) from 2014 to 2015, which spearheaded a series of class boycott campaigns in Summer 2014 in protest against the decision of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) to impose stringent electoral reforms for the 2017 Chief Executive election in Hong Kong. [1] During this movement, Shum coined the popular phrase, "Resist colonial [rule], say no to screening! Self-determination for Hongkongers! [2]

After the Hong Kong Police Force fired 87 rounds of tear gas at protesters during the 2014 protests, Shum called for CY Leung to step down as Chief Executive of Hong Kong. [3] Additionally, on October 21, 2014, Shum joined a five-member delegation from HKFS for a widely aired dialogue with government officials led by then-Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam. Despite their efforts, the meeting did not succeed in bridging the two sides. [4] On November 26, 2014, Shum and student activist Joshua Wong were arrested at the Mong Kok protest site after they failed to comply with a court order to clear it. [5] Shum pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of court on November 28, 2017, and received a one-month suspended sentence and a fine. [6][7]

Shum continued his advocacy for democratic principles and civil liberties in Hong Kong after graduating from university. In the 2019 District Council election, he won a seat for the Hoi Bun constituency in Tsuen Wan. In June 2020, Shum declared his intention to run for the 2020 Hong Kong legislative election and his plan to renounce his American citizenship, he planned to renounce his American citizenship, which was a requirement to run in the election. [8] He joined a six-person alliance with candidates Eddie Chu, Joshua Wong, Gwyneth Ho, Sunny Cheung, and Tiffany Yuen. In July 2020, he ran in the primary for the District Council (Second) constituency, emerging as the runner-up, and secured a nomination spot in the general election. However, on July 30, the government stated that Shum was among a dozen pro-democracy candidates whose nominations were 'invalid'.

Following his participation in the primaries, Shum was arrested on Jan. 6, 2021, along with 52 others, for suspicion of conspiracy to commit subversion over his participation in the primaries. Two weeks after he was released, he was married to former news anchor Nicole Alexis Yu. [9] On Feb. 28, he was arrested again along with 46 others and has been in custody since. [10] On August 19, 2022, he pleaded guilty to the charge and remains in prison awaiting sentence. In his guilty plea, he wrote that he feels remorse about what he did, and his biggest hope right now is to be able to go home and spend time with his wife. [11]

Photo credit: Lester Shum's Facebook Page.