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Overview
This yellow raincoat was worn to the 'New Zealand Solidarity with Hong Kong' rally, held at the University of Auckland's Quad on 6 August 2019, as a tribute to 35-year-old Marco Leung. Leung is widely considered the first martyr of the Hong Kong protest movement and is often referred to as 'Yellow Raincoat man' as he was seen and photographed on the roof of Pacific Place wearing a yellow raincoat while hanging a protest banner prior to his death.
Following Leung's death, mourners in Hong Kong laid flowers at the scene. Around the world, including in Aotearoa, supporters carried white flowers and wore yellow raincoats to honour his memory. Hong Kong authorities ultimately ruled Leung's death a suicide.
Hong Kong protest movement and Aotearoa
The Hong Kong protests were originally incited by the proposed Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019. Also known as the Hong Kong Extradition Bill, the proposed legislation would have enabled Hong Kong residents to be extradited to mainland China to face trial. The protest movement subsequently evolved and continued through much of the first half of 2020, though the Extradition Bill was withdrawn in October 2019. On 30 June 2020, the Chinese legislature approved the controversial National Security Law, bypassing Hong Kong’s own elected legislative council. This law effectively outlawed activities perceived as dissenting or secessionist, including the possession of protest banners and flags carrying slogans associated with the protest movement such as ‘Liberate Hong Kong/Revolution of our Times’.
The Hong Kong protests have garnered significant international attention due to Hong Kong’s importance to the global economy and the political aspects of China’s increasing prominence as a global player. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the protests have prompted wide-ranging debates, including those relating to democracy and freedom of speech, New Zealand’s relationship to China and the government’s obligations to those connected to Hong Kong but based here, among them international students and temporary visa holders, as well as citizens and permanent residents with familial and cultural links to Hong Kong.