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Overview
This poster was designed and printed by activists associated with the group We Are Kiwi Hong Kongers 香港逃犯條例修訂草案紐西蘭關注組 to generate publicity for a human chain organised as part of the event ‘Fight for Freedom/Stand with Hong Kong 831’ in support of the Hong Kong protest movement (see below). The event was also held in Wellington and Christchurch and the same poster template was used to promote those events. The words “we connect” in the poster backdrop refer to the physical action of holding hands and the connection that exists between Hong Kong activists all over the world, each and every one playing a different part in the movement. The colour yellow has been closely associated with the Hong Kong protests, particularly through protesters’ use of yellow umbrellas to draw a connection between the 2019-20 protests and Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Yellow Umbrella movement of 2014.
The human chain events promoted in Aotearoa were inspired by the formation of a 30-mile human chain on both sides of Hong Kong harbour on 23 August 2019 – this was itself inspired by the anti-Soviet ‘Baltic Way’ across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania of 1989. The New Zealand events were among the many human chains organised around the world in solidarity with the movement.
On 31 August 2019, the date of the New Zealand event, the Prince Edward Station attack (also known as the 831 incident) took place in Hong Kong. The details of the incident are disputed, but centre on recorded footage which appeared to show Hong Kong riot police attacking train passengers while arresting protesters. Event organisers subsequently altered the name of the New Zealand rallies online to include acknowledgement of the 831 incident.
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movement subsequently evolved and continued through much of the first half of 2020, though the Extradition Bill was withdrawn in October 2019.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.