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Overview
This sticker flier is one of several distributed by the activist group We Are Kiwi Hong Kongers 香港逃犯條例修訂草案紐西蘭關注組 at various rallies around Auckland and Wellington supporting the global Hong Kong protest movement. It references the alleged sexual harassment of a female protester by a Hong Kong police officer and the global #metoo movement.
Since the start of the Hong Kong protests of 2019, there have been many allegations of sexual assault and harassment by police. However, it has been difficult for human rights organisations to paint a full and accurate picture of the situation due to social stigma, fear of reporting sexual assaults and the reluctance of some protesters to let friends and family know about their activism. On 16 October 2019, the South China Morning Post reported that Hong Kong’s equal opportunities watchdog had received more than 300 inquiries since mid-June in connection with the protests, mostly third-party allegations of sexual discrimination by police. These, however, are not regarded as official complaints as they did not come directly from alleged victims.
The female protester depicted in this flier is the anonymous ‘Student K’ who, in an article published by Hong Kong Free Press on 23 June 2020, accused at least one Hong Kong police officer of assaulting her after she was arrested on September 25 last year at Sha Tin MTR station under suspicion of unlawful assembly and assaulting a police officer.
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movement subsequently evolved and continued through much of the first half of 2020, though the Extradition Bill was withdrawn in October 2019.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 ‘Free 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.
References:
“Teen accuses Hong Kong police of sexual assault during protest arrest”, Hong Kong Free Press, 23 June 2020, accessed 8 July 2021, https://hongkongfp.com/2020/06/23/teen-accuses-hong-kong-police-of-sexual-assault-after-protest-arrest/.
“Hong Kong protests: Equal Opportunities Commission gets 300 inquiries during unrest, mostly third-party allegations of sexual discrimination against police”, South China Morning Post, 16 October 2019, accessed 8 July 2021, https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3033188/hong-kongs-equal-opportunities-commission-gets-300