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Local activist Christina Chan and I made peaceful protests at the 2008 Hong Kong Olympic Torch Rally. Along with over 20 other demonstrators, we were prevented from reaching the sidelines as the torch went past and were illegally detained by police who claimed our forced removal was for our 'own protection'. Those trying to attack us were not arrested. 'The Basic Law', Hong Kong's mini-constitution, guarantees freedom of speech for all and obliges the police to 'enable' and 'facilitate' protest. Whilst our plight does not compare to the human rights violations we were protesting against, the infringement of these civil liberties in Hong Kong is emblematic of the gradual erosion of freedoms by the Central Government in Beijing.

press coverage, click to enlarge

videos

video - news footage compilation, NTDTV interview & Guardian coverage
can't see the video? download flash here

• International Herald Tribune - Video following our preparations during the week leading up to the torch rally
• The Guardian - Followed Christina on the day of the protest and shows her detention in a police van.

defending civil liberties

Despite freedom of speech being guaranteed under the 1997 mini-constitution, the Basic Law, local police removed protesters from the sidelines during the 2008 Olympic Torch Rally in Hong Kong. Whilst those who attacked us were overlooked, fellow activists and I found ourselves bundled into police vans by plain-clothed officers and taken to the local station. Although the rest of the world reported on the dissent, mainland media outlets were able to show a patriotic extravaganza free from any blemish of demonstration.

A few days before the rally, as immigration were busy turning away known activists from the airport, I teamed up with a local student, Christina Chan, to mark ‘100-days-to-the-Olympics’. Donning a full-body panda suit I went over to the big Olympic countdown clock and unfurled a banner questioning China’s failure to improve human rights since being granted The Games in 2001. I was representing ‘Jing Jing’, the Olympic panda and symbol of peace. The costume was also appropriate since China often donates pandas to countries they’re trying to build diplomatic ties with. Just as the clock ticked over to 100 days, we quickly scaled the clock base. Luckily one our group had been nominated ‘negotiator’ to speak to the surrounding security staff, and this gave us enough time for the media – some local, some international – to get their picture. Despite some obscenities and a bottle being hurled in our direction by some passing locals, the evening was a success and interviews afterwards lasted almost an hour.

Christina was already attracting a lot of attention after seemingly being thrown off Facebook for creating an event calling on protesters to converge on the torch rally. She found herself splashed across local newspapers and was being contacted, almost daily, by the police insisting she share her plans. The authorities also demonstrated a bizarre neglect in investigating threats directed at her in online forums. Mainland bloggers were offering up to US$80 for her contact details, which had echos of the Chinese student in the US whose family back home was harassed and threatened in a similar manner [http://tinyurl.com/547zp5]. The next day, we called on all of her online supporters to meet at HK University to discuss our plans and to make banners. Although we know that campaigns for Tibet and other human rights have many supporters, the pathetic turnout that night was probably testament to the meaningless nature of political expression on the internet. Political parties had assured Christina that they backed her proposed action, but to come out and support it at the torch rally would be political suicide. Meanwhile, online debate and advocacy rumbled on-and-on, but, at the end of the day, actions speak louder than words and few ‘cyber-activists’ managed to pull themselves away from their screens.

As the meeting time came and passed, I was somewhat intimidated about the fact that the media outnumbered us 20-fold. For a long time, it was just me and the press, local TV, German TV, the International Herald Tribune and a bunch of Chinese networks. As Christina showed up, we nervously worked out our route and began sketching flags and banners. The German crew often manoeuvred Christina to ensure a good shot and continuity, this in itself probably epitomised the fact that our activism was almost solely designed for the media circus. This was Christina’s show and I didn’t interfere. It’s an approach which is often cheap and shameless, but unfortunately gets results – our message gets out to the highest number of people possible through slogans, sound bites, banners, costumes and attention-seeking stunts. If we could get our voice heard at a sensible press conference, as actress Mia Farrow was able to do that Friday, we would. If we could demonstrate on a street corner on the following day, without annoying local supporters of the games – and still get the same media interest and coverage – we would. However, the silly game of fine-tuning and timing our message for the media is the only way a small group, with no funding, can make an impact. And, in fairness, it’s fantastically successful.

Out of nowhere, dozens of ‘pro-China’ supporters poured into the area shouting slogans, draped in huge Chinese flags. It was no secret that the government had been handing out free stickers and flags in preparation for Friday’s rally and these supporters were obviously mobilised, united and ready to respond. We were able to have sensible discussion with many of those opposing our message about Tibet, but one guy was more aggressive. The media started snapping away again as he scattered propaganda leaflets over our banner table and fought to replace our Tibetan flag with his red one. I noted that his hostility and ‘invasion’ of our protest space seemed fitting as it was reminiscent of how China itself censors other viewpoints. Although freedom of speech is guaranteed in Hong Kong, which shares many of its laws with Britain, our demonstration would have led to our immediate arrest if we’d had tried this a few miles north in the mainland.

The torch and the games themselves are a showcase for the new world player, China – it’s a glorious international baptism of legitimacy and respectability. This is China’s ‘coming out’ party and everyone’s invited, if you promise not to spoil it by pointing out the continued human rights abuses. With little or no compensation, the authorities in Beijing have flattened people’s homes to make way for the sporting infrastructure, the regime itself continues to censor all media, religious freedom is still a long way off and the government is shameless in its support of the despicable Burmese and North Korean regimes, in addition to facilitating murder in Zimbabwe and Sudan. In recent months, the bloodiness of the same totalitarian communist party which rolled tanks into Tiananmen Square in 1989 has been revealed again in their criminal crackdown in Tibet.

As this is Hong Kong, the last stand for freedom in China, we had a moral duty to highlight these atrocities before the ‘flame of shame’ embarked on its carefully orchestrated and theatrical tour of the motherland. For our own safety, and because we weren’t trying to cause a ruckus, we told the police our plans in advance. All eyes were on Christina Chan in the morning, who had turned out with a handful of other foreign and local activists, draped in a Tibetan flag. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has deemed the flag a ‘pro-independence’ symbol and this caused us problems in trying to promote our appeal for ‘self-determination and human rights in the region. On reflection, we could have tightened our message to avoid misinterpretation.

Nothing was going to stop the frenzied and manic explosion of patriotism in Hong Kong and the mainland. It was the first time Hong Kongers had showed such support for the country who took over the reigns of power from the British 11 years ago. To add to the furore, over 100,000 mainland Chinese had descended on the territory to wave the flag and chant ‘Go China’ (or ‘China add oil!’ as it translates). Only a generation ago, people were flocking to British Hong Kong to escape mass killing under Mao, and in 1997 Hong Kongers emigrated in droves and feared ‘tanks in the streets’ as sovereignty was handed over. Today, all Chinese people were as one – it wasn’t the time or place for criticism, and any of the continued reservations with the CCP were put firmly on the back burner. And like the insane flag-waving spurring on Bush's War on Terror, it seems the world is either with them or against them. One need only look to the English online forums in China to glimpse the irrational and ill-informed nationalistic rhetoric.

Early that morning, the territory’s leader Donald Tsang spoke of his ‘free city’, saying "We are a world in a city, where different people with different beliefs and different views have thrived in a spirit of diversity, tolerance and respect." Within minutes of this speech Christina, during her peaceful protest, was forcefully removed from the area by police. As the crowds jeered, swore and threw things at her and her supporters, 10 minutes before the flame was due to run past, plain clothed and uniformed officers moved in to bundle her into a police van.

I had to pay extra for my yellow banner to be manufactured locally as, apparently, the content was too ‘sensitive’ for the usual printers to produce it just over the border. As I exited the underground system at around 4pm, a small group of police, who had clocked the Tibet flag on my face and shirt, came over and began questioning me. I cooperated and began walking to Hennessy Road to make my voice heard. The officers did all they could to obstruct, hinder and hamper my progress. I didn’t want to show any hostility so couldn’t barge past them, but I insisted I had the right to protest and they couldn’t stop me. As I neared the jeering supporters, the police escorted me back to where I began within seconds. At this point, I spoke to some reporters who’d gathered around and was joined by my friend Maxine.

Together we tried again to reach the sidelines but were thwarted by the officers and a couple of police negotiators. Over and over they asked the same questions, guided me by the wrist, insisted it was too dangerous and that our banner was offensive – I realised in hindsight that it was all delay-tactics, since we arrived at Hennessy Road minutes after the flame had passed. Luckily we already had a lot of media in tow, so I unfurled my banner which, occasionally, the officers would try and take away or insist I fold up. Again, people jeered, swore, tried to attack us and take my sign – I felt terrible for Maxine who was probably not expecting the anger and hostility in the air. One of the banners was torn away from me and things started to escalate – I picked up the pace and tried to get past the police but they forced me into a door way and insisted I ‘calm down’. Completely calm throughout, I realised they were perhaps trying to provoke a reaction so they could arrest me and put an end to it all. I asked what law they were using to control me, a question echoed by a nearby journalist. They said ‘for my own safety’ – I pointed out that this wasn’t a law, and that surely those attacking me should be arrested.

Instead, I found myself marched down Hennessy Road with my head under the shoulder of a plain clothed officer. I did feel the police were making efforts to protect me, but they denied my request to speak to the media again, and in the din of patriotic hollering, Maxine and I were put in a police van against our will. I’d seen enough films to know the drill when being ‘bundled’ into a paddy wagon, so, punching the air, I shouted ‘freedom of speech’ twice as a journalist was knocked down in the fracas.  Inside the van, I was kept in the head lock for another 20 seconds, which I objected to as I wasn’t resisting and hadn’t done anything wrong. The officer seemed personally upset about my protest and I frantically asked where they were taking me, why, under what law and whether I was under arrest. ‘Public ordinance’, ‘for your protection’ and to ‘keep the peace’ were the reasons given for my detention, I apparently wasn’t under arrest. Since he wouldn’t tell me directly, I tried to see the officer’s number on his ID but was told that if I touched his coat again I’d be arrested for assault.

I was told I would be released if I cooperated. Maxine and I were separated and I handed over my Hong Kong ID. I knew I didn’t have to say anything else - they wanted my address, mobile number and the content of my banner for the ‘record’ they admitted they were making. I feel the process went a lot more smoothly than it could’ve due to the fact that I was quite clearly on the phone to various media outlets throughout the entire episode. They said my banner was ‘offensive to Chinese people’ and were miffed that I wouldn’t show the exact wording, pointing out that the whole world had just seen its contents. I said that I didn’t know how these records would be used and was concerned they could be passed on and affect my chances of being let into China. As if my chances weren’t already somewhere between zero and nothing.

We left the station after about half an hour and parted ways. I wanted to try one more time to speak to the media and maybe make a fuss at the closing ceremony. The key areas of Wan Chai were completely locked down by the police, so I entered a private backstreet and a park. It was at this point that it became obvious I was being followed. I did the standard tests to find out – when I stopped, they stopped. When I backtracked, they backtracked. When I picked up the pace or crossed the road, so did they. Eventually, I began joking with them about where I planned to go next, and whether they fancied a jog. There were three of them dressed like any other supporter, sporting the same patriotic stickers as every other person but with noticeable earpieces. They weren’t forthcoming when I asked ‘if I could help them’, nor were they too discreet about communicating on their wires.

These secret police were rubbish, but perhaps they wanted me to know I was being monitored. It certainly prevented me from pressing on with reaching the closing ceremony – my new priority was shacking off these guys! The dramatic game of cat-and-mouse was initially reminiscent of ‘24’, but rapidly descended into something rather farcical, perhaps more akin to ‘Benny Hill’. I ran around to the next road, over a footbridge and straight into the Wan Chai Arts Centre. They piled in breathlessly and I asked what exhibition they’d come to see. “No, no, we’re just Hong Kong citizens. Waiting for a friend.” No joke; that was their response. “Ah, you’re not police? …Then I’ll leave you to it, cheerio!” They followed me out, and I counted them down for a bit of a run to the next road, “Ready guys? Let’s rooolll!”.  I ran on to the nearest bus, deliberately boarding at the last minute. Buses in Hong Kong stop every few hundred metres, so I figured I’d just off a bit further down the road. Unfortunately, this shuttle bus didn’t stop until it was half way down the island at Ocean Park, the territory’s aquatic theme park!

The show was over by the time I’d returned to Wan Chai, and I planted myself in front of a TV in a building foyer with some locals. The news showed the celebrations during the day and had a separate piece about the protesters and police reaction. As I appeared in the bulletin being bashed around, the surrounding people put two-and-two together and realised it was indeed me. I gave an incoherent, embarrassed rant about not being ‘anti-China’… Not wanting to ‘censor myself’, I kept the Tibetan stickers on during my journey home. One person quietly spoke to me in support of the cause whilst others guided their children away from me as if I was liable to burst into a violent rage at any minute. It was very weird.

Since then, we’ve done a number of interviews on TV, radio and in the press. Christina has been in the news almost daily – a 21-year-old attractive student, perfectly fluent in English and Cantonese – since she is Chinese, she’s seen as a ‘traitor’ by many. In an attempt to smear her, dozens of private photos from her Facebook account have been plastered over the tabloids, internet forums and trashy magazines. There are photos of her with friends, dressed in a bikini and one which has been ‘censored’ with a yellow star, as if to suggest she is naked in the original photo. None of the images were lewd, so this was a gross case of media deception, and something that has probably done more harm than good to the campaign’s integrity. It’s sparked a lot of debate in the territory and many, including several newspaper columnists, have suggested that although many disagree with the message, the right to say it should have been better protected by the police.

Our little case doesn’t compare to the human rights abuses we’ve been trying to highlight – however, injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere. If we don’t defend these rights of protest and freedom of speech, then our means to raise awareness of other injustices will be lost. Stay tuned.

links

• Paul Harris - The case for self-determination - recent legal article on whether Tibet is entitled to self-determination (this was prevented from being published in Hong Kong and China).
• Channel 4 - Undercover in Tibet - the true state of freedom in Tibet - essential viewing.
• International Action – our activist group in Hong Kong
• Torch Rally Beijing 2008
• Play Fair 2008
• China Human Rights Watch
• Beijing Olympics Boycott

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