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| Denise Ho: Hong Kong has reached 'a point of no turning back' | Denise Ho: Hong Kong has reached 'a point of no turning back' |
| (3 days later) | |
| “We are officially in a police state,” the Hong Kong Cantopop star and activist Denise Ho told a sold-out audience in Sydney on Sunday night. | “We are officially in a police state,” the Hong Kong Cantopop star and activist Denise Ho told a sold-out audience in Sydney on Sunday night. |
| Speaking at the Sydney Opera House’s Antidote festival, Ho told an audience of mostly self-identifying Hongkongers that the political upheaval in their home had reached “a point of no turning back”. | Speaking at the Sydney Opera House’s Antidote festival, Ho told an audience of mostly self-identifying Hongkongers that the political upheaval in their home had reached “a point of no turning back”. |
| “We are in a state of humanitarian crisis where police have full authority to do whatever they want with the people, and the government is hiding behind the police force,” she said. | “We are in a state of humanitarian crisis where police have full authority to do whatever they want with the people, and the government is hiding behind the police force,” she said. |
| As protests in Hong Kong headed towards their 14th week, Ho reflected on the resilience and tenacity of the protesters, who have turned out in hundreds of thousands since the first demonstrations in June. | As protests in Hong Kong headed towards their 14th week, Ho reflected on the resilience and tenacity of the protesters, who have turned out in hundreds of thousands since the first demonstrations in June. |
| How far will China go to stamp out Hong Kong protests? | How far will China go to stamp out Hong Kong protests? |
| “Where does this courage come from? Hong Kong has never been known to be a politically conscious society,” she said. “Nothing like this has ever been seen before and now people have been pushed to this edge – these young people are fighting for their lives and for their future.” | “Where does this courage come from? Hong Kong has never been known to be a politically conscious society,” she said. “Nothing like this has ever been seen before and now people have been pushed to this edge – these young people are fighting for their lives and for their future.” |
| She rejected allegations by Beijing that the movement was being provoked by the US or other international players. “This is a leaderless, centralised movement,” she said. “They are still claiming there are foreign forces coming into the movement … it’s just not the truth.” | She rejected allegations by Beijing that the movement was being provoked by the US or other international players. “This is a leaderless, centralised movement,” she said. “They are still claiming there are foreign forces coming into the movement … it’s just not the truth.” |
| Before she was an activist, Ho was a singer. She launched her music career in the 1990s when she won a singing competition run by a Hong Kong TV station, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that she broke through into the mainstream. She began to identify publicly as a lesbian in 2012 – the first person in Cantopop to come out – and became an advocate for LGBT+ rights. | Before she was an activist, Ho was a singer. She launched her music career in the 1990s when she won a singing competition run by a Hong Kong TV station, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that she broke through into the mainstream. She began to identify publicly as a lesbian in 2012 – the first person in Cantopop to come out – and became an advocate for LGBT+ rights. |
| In 2014 she was arrested for taking part in the “umbrella movement” for universal suffrage in Hong Kong. As a result she was blacklisted in mainland China, where she had a growing audience, and was dropped from major sponsorship deals and by her record label. She responded by starting her own label, and by intensifying her political activism. | In 2014 she was arrested for taking part in the “umbrella movement” for universal suffrage in Hong Kong. As a result she was blacklisted in mainland China, where she had a growing audience, and was dropped from major sponsorship deals and by her record label. She responded by starting her own label, and by intensifying her political activism. |
| The protests were triggered by a controversial bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, where the Communist party controls the courts, but have since evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement. | The protests were triggered by a controversial bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, where the Communist party controls the courts, but have since evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement. |
| Public anger – fuelled by the aggressive tactics used by the police against demonstrators – has collided with years of frustration over worsening inequality and the cost of living in one of the world's most expensive, densely populated cities. | Public anger – fuelled by the aggressive tactics used by the police against demonstrators – has collided with years of frustration over worsening inequality and the cost of living in one of the world's most expensive, densely populated cities. |
| The protest movement was given fresh impetus on 21 July when gangs of men attacked protesters and commuters at a mass transit station – while authorities seemingly did little to intervene. | The protest movement was given fresh impetus on 21 July when gangs of men attacked protesters and commuters at a mass transit station – while authorities seemingly did little to intervene. |
| Underlying the movement is a push for full democracy in the city, whose leader is chosen by a committee dominated by a pro-Beijing establishment rather than by direct elections. | Underlying the movement is a push for full democracy in the city, whose leader is chosen by a committee dominated by a pro-Beijing establishment rather than by direct elections. |
| Protesters have vowed to keep their movement going until their core demands are met, such as the resignation of the city’s leader, Carrie Lam, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested and a permanent withdrawal of the bill. | Protesters have vowed to keep their movement going until their core demands are met, such as the resignation of the city’s leader, Carrie Lam, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested and a permanent withdrawal of the bill. |
| Lam announced on 4 September that she was withdrawing the bill. | |
| Beijing’s influence over Hong Kong has grown in recent years, as activists have been jailed and pro-democracy lawmakers disqualified from running or holding office. Independent booksellers have disappeared from the city, before reappearing in mainland China facing charges. | Beijing’s influence over Hong Kong has grown in recent years, as activists have been jailed and pro-democracy lawmakers disqualified from running or holding office. Independent booksellers have disappeared from the city, before reappearing in mainland China facing charges. |
| Under the terms of the agreement by which the former British colony was returned to Chinese control in 1997, the semi-autonomous region was meant to maintain a “high degree of autonomy” through an independent judiciary, a free press and an open market economy, a framework known as “one country, two systems”. | Under the terms of the agreement by which the former British colony was returned to Chinese control in 1997, the semi-autonomous region was meant to maintain a “high degree of autonomy” through an independent judiciary, a free press and an open market economy, a framework known as “one country, two systems”. |
| The extradition bill was seen as an attempt to undermine this and to give Beijing the ability to try pro-democracy activists under the judicial system of the mainland. | The extradition bill was seen as an attempt to undermine this and to give Beijing the ability to try pro-democracy activists under the judicial system of the mainland. |
| Beijing has issued increasingly shrill condemnations but has left it to the city's semi-autonomous government to deal with the situation. Meanwhile police have violently clashed directly with protesters, repeatedly firing teargas and rubber bullets. | |
| Beijing has ramped up its accusations that foreign countries are “fanning the fire” of unrest in the city. China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi has ordered the US to “immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any form”. | Beijing has ramped up its accusations that foreign countries are “fanning the fire” of unrest in the city. China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi has ordered the US to “immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any form”. |
| Lily Kuo and Verna Yu in Hong Kong | Lily Kuo and Verna Yu in Hong Kong |
| Despite being billed as a talk about pop and politics, Ho’s session at the annual ideas festival focused firmly on the latter. In conversation with the journalist Zing Tsjeng, Ho touched on her singing career only insofar as it related to her activism. | Despite being billed as a talk about pop and politics, Ho’s session at the annual ideas festival focused firmly on the latter. In conversation with the journalist Zing Tsjeng, Ho touched on her singing career only insofar as it related to her activism. |
| Art and creative practice, she said, was a space in which “the fight can go on”. “They can lock you up, they can ban you from going into the country, and they can censor your name on Chinese social media, but they cannot really control your mind.” | Art and creative practice, she said, was a space in which “the fight can go on”. “They can lock you up, they can ban you from going into the country, and they can censor your name on Chinese social media, but they cannot really control your mind.” |
| She said she believed most celebrities had been “silencing themselves” on the political situation in Hong Kong “for fear of being blacklisted, as I have been, on the China market”. | She said she believed most celebrities had been “silencing themselves” on the political situation in Hong Kong “for fear of being blacklisted, as I have been, on the China market”. |
| The audience gave no indication that they minded the singular focus of the event. Crowd members chanted pro-freedom slogans. Questions from the floor were focused mainly on protest strategy. They wanted to know what they could do from Australia to help their families at home. They called out in encouragement and support when the event took an emotional turn. | The audience gave no indication that they minded the singular focus of the event. Crowd members chanted pro-freedom slogans. Questions from the floor were focused mainly on protest strategy. They wanted to know what they could do from Australia to help their families at home. They called out in encouragement and support when the event took an emotional turn. |
| Ho was brought to tears as the audience was shown a short video summarising the months of protests, which were triggered in June by the introduction of a bill that would have allowed people to be extradited to mainland China to face court. The bill was seen as an attempt by Beijing to undermine democracy in the relatively liberal territory, governed by China under the “one country, two systems” framework. | Ho was brought to tears as the audience was shown a short video summarising the months of protests, which were triggered in June by the introduction of a bill that would have allowed people to be extradited to mainland China to face court. The bill was seen as an attempt by Beijing to undermine democracy in the relatively liberal territory, governed by China under the “one country, two systems” framework. |
| Hong Kong: riot police pursue pro-democracy protesters from airport | Hong Kong: riot police pursue pro-democracy protesters from airport |
| News had emerged in the past 48 hours that police had fired dye-filled water cannons at people in the street. They had disguised their identities and violently arrested protesters, as well as attacking them in a train carriage at a metro station, pepper spraying them and beating them with batons. | News had emerged in the past 48 hours that police had fired dye-filled water cannons at people in the street. They had disguised their identities and violently arrested protesters, as well as attacking them in a train carriage at a metro station, pepper spraying them and beating them with batons. |
| “The police have really been completely out of hand, and so Hong Kong people are furious,” Ho said. | “The police have really been completely out of hand, and so Hong Kong people are furious,” Ho said. |
| Ho said she expected the crisis to escalate in the lead-up to celebrations on 1 October to mark the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. | Ho said she expected the crisis to escalate in the lead-up to celebrations on 1 October to mark the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. |
| “What will happen during this month, nobody will really answer this question,” she said. “What we can really do in this moment is become more united in this fight and become really strategic in the face of this huge machine that is the [Chinese] communist government.” | “What will happen during this month, nobody will really answer this question,” she said. “What we can really do in this moment is become more united in this fight and become really strategic in the face of this huge machine that is the [Chinese] communist government.” |
| She said six young people had killed themselves “because of despair” during the protest period. | She said six young people had killed themselves “because of despair” during the protest period. |
| “I really want the world to know that although we are seeing a lot of violence from all sides at this moment, this really started out as a largely peaceful protest in June,” she said. | “I really want the world to know that although we are seeing a lot of violence from all sides at this moment, this really started out as a largely peaceful protest in June,” she said. |
| “We tried all sorts of ways to get our voices heard, to get to the government. But they only responded with teargas, more teargas, rubber bullets, sponge bullets, police brutality.” | “We tried all sorts of ways to get our voices heard, to get to the government. But they only responded with teargas, more teargas, rubber bullets, sponge bullets, police brutality.” |
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