3M Half Facepiece Respirator

Note: Names used in the entry below are pseudonyms. All quotes and supporting information are derived from the account of ‘Emily’ as recorded in GH02678, Te Papa collection.

This object is a 3M half facepiece respirator, often referred to as a 'tear gas mask' or 'gas mask'. It was used in Hong Kong during the 2019 protests and was brought to New Zealand by Emily*, a Hong Konger who currently lives in New Zealand with her daughter, Alexa*.

On 1 October 2019, China's National Day, Emily was in Hong Kong, having returned there to take part in the protests. That day, while taking part in a rally, Emily found herself being chased by police through central Hong Kong alongside several other protesters. Emily describes them as 'kids' because of their young age.

'Because I [was] in New Zealand for some time I didn't know how to do [protests]...the kid just hold my hand and we keep running and running,' she recalls. 'I do not have any gear at that time I just have surgical mask….and one kid give me an N95 mask [sic]. I don’t know how to wear that, they help me but the police keep on chasing with us.'

Emily says she avoided arrest thanks to a resident on the street who opened their door to her and let her hide in their house during the chase.

'The kids, they are get arrest. And the people on the street, there’s a middle-aged man, see these scenes and he cried but he can’t say anything, he just walked silently and go. I’m not sure is it the kid give me the mask is arrest or what, but then several kids get arrest. Once they arrest they will very bad they will get hit, tortured or even lose their life'.

Since that day, Emily has feared for the welfare of these protesters as instances of violence have been a controversial part of the Hong Kong police's response to the protesters. She has also expressed mixed feelings about her decision to bring the mask back to New Zealand. On the one hand, it reminds her of the kindness of the young protester who gave it to her and the ongoing struggle of protesters in Hong Kong. On the other, it has prompted emotions of guilt and anguish, as well as difficult conversations with family members who question her choice as concerns about the long-term effects of exposure to tear gas mount.

'My sister is so angry about why I get the mask because not easy for them [the protesters], some people need to use this again and again but this one cannot use many times', Emily explains, who doesn't understand why the protester who gave it to her didn't use it himself.

'At that moment, I think, it is a souvenir or I want to go back in future. So [now] I think I have a duty to donate it, to let the other people know my story'.

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.