They’re dressed in an all-black uniform, faces distorted behind gas masks, using umbrellas as shields, and following a sophisticated set of hand motions that act as their form of communication.

For more than three months, millions of civilians have been protesting the Hong Kong government.

What began as a rally against legislation that would have allowed for the extradition of Hong Kong residents to China to face trial has ballooned into a much more symbolic battle to fight Chinese encroachment in the semiautonomous region.

One study conducted from June to August found that nearly 60% of protesters were younger than 29, and nearly 75% had some form of higher education. And for many young protesters, weekly demonstrations have become an increasingly more desperate, sometimes violent fight against what they see as a shrinking view of their future.

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