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Overview
This poster was used to promote the Global Anti-totalitarianism rally held at Aotea Square in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland on 29 September 2019. The event was organised 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, which exists to promote support for the Hong Kong protest movement (see below). A related event was also organised by Christchurch-based members of the group.
The use of the image of Winnie the Pooh on the poster is significant as the character is highly controversial in China. In order to get around the country’s strict internet censorship laws, internet commentators and critics of China's leader, Xi Jinping, began using the character as his avatar. China's internet censors, however, now regularly block the character on China's social media platforms. Detractors nonetheless continue to use the character's image as a euphemism for Xi, often to mock or ridicule the leader.
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movement subsequently evolved and continued through much of the first half of 2020, though the Extradition Bill was withdrawn in October 2019.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.