#PoliticalOppression #Censorship
HK Authorities Ban #LIHKGPig Motif from Mid-autumn Festival Decorations, Calling it “Unsettling”

The Yau Tsim Mong District Council in Hong Kong earlier proposed the inclusion of the LIHKG pig motif into festival decoration designs.

However, the Government's Home Affairs Department (#HAD) rejected the design, calling it “controversial” and “unsettling” which might jeopardize social harmony. HAD also threatened the District Councilors with the rejection of the whole proposal should organizers insisted keeping the LIHKG pig design.

Ben Lam Siu-pan, Councilor of Yau Tsim Mong District criticized HAD’s decision as an apparent case of political censorship. He would seek clarification from the Obscene Articles Tribunal on whether the LIHKG pig is “unsettling” to social harmony.

Source: Stand News #Sept26

#MidAutumn #LanternFestival
#Lantern #LiHKG

LIHKG listed out locations where the LeaveHomeSafe app ranks at the top download. Even travel gurus may not know some of the places' Chinese name’

#LeaveHomeSafe #LIHKG #GoHKgraphics

#GreatFireWall #WhiteTerror
HK Security Secretary Connects Sympathy to Participation; LIHKG to be probed

In a meeting in Hong Kong's Legislative Council that is dominated by pro-Beijing lawmakers on July 6, 2021, Secretary for Security #ChrisTang referred the 2019 pro-democracy movement to "color revolution" that aimed at subverting the regime. The former police commissioner also urged citizens to condemn and report.

Tang said, "We will make not only the terrorists, but also the supporters and those who attempt to tone it down, live like rats."

On July 1, 2021, a 50-year-old Hong Kong man called #LeungKinFai died after knifing a police officer and stabbing himself reportedly on the chest. In following days, many Hongkongers mourned the man and brought flowers to the site.

The authorities claimed that mourning as well as posting comments about the man's death could breach the #NationalSecurityLaw.

Law professor #JohannesChan at the University of Hong Kong (#HKU) disagreed and pointed out that mourning the deceased out of sympathy is not a criminal act. Chan criticized that the "red line" drawn by the government is "way too unreasonable".

Secretary for Security Chris Tang, however, insisted that sympathy is a form of support and support is a form of participation.

Tang said, "depending on individual cases, we will see whether we have evidence to make arrests and take our prosecutions."

With reference to Prof Chan, Tang said, "I hope this legal scholar can sleep at night. because you might have painted Hong Kong in blood."

In addition, Tang said that the next target is the Internet Forum #LIHKG because it is "filled with illegal information". Tang claimed that authorities will make arrests and force the websites and the users to remove their messages.

Source: Stand News; RTHK #Jul6

https://thestandnews.page.link/WGcVhQPd8JEWUhrK6

#StateTerrorism #Article23 #Censorship #HongKongProtests #Mourning #Death #Martyr

#NeverForget
"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News

Days ahead of the 2-year anniversary of the 7.21 Yuen Long Attack, Stand News published a video report investigating the allegations from the pro-Beijing camp that the conflict was initiated by pro-democracy protesters.

English captions have been added by Real Hong Kong News. Watch the video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gch5ikVyI80

The report found that pro-Beijing groups and Hong Kong police, and the #IPCC all cited a poster calling for a protest in Yuen Long on 7.21, during the height of the 2019 anti-ELAB protests.

Notably, the IPCC's special investigation report was quoted in the court case of 7 pro-Beijing men charged for rioting on 7.21, the only alleged white-shirt attackers who have been charged to date.

However, HKU research found that the poster had first gone viral on Chinese social media platform #Weibo and other pro-Beijing groups, instead of the #LIHKG forum frequented by pro-democracy protesters.

When the poster later reached LIHKG, it was mostly met with skepticism; eventually being treated by commentators as fake information.

Pro-Beijing groups, however, had used the poster to stir up fears of "rioters" coming to Yuen Long, even calling on people to bring canes and water pipes to repel the presumed "invaders".

During the evening of 7.21 when the incensed mobs struck indiscriminately at civilians, multiple pro-Beijing figures were seen on the streets with the white-shirts. Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho was also filmed encouraging and shaking hands with white-shirts.

Patrolling police officers were seen walking away from the sites where civilians were attacked.

Footage also showed Pak Heung Division Commander Li Hon-man mingling and thanking white-shirts who scuffled with pro-democracy citizens during the week leading up to the attack.

These, as well as other reports from that evening, contributed to public discontent and suspicion that the police force is colluding with the Triads.

Since then, Pro-Beijing groups have distanced themselves with the events of the night, and clung to the narrative that they were defending their homes from supposed incursion by the black shirts. When Stand News approached several leaders who had been identified in the night's footage, many declined to comment, or simply cut off the interview.

Some victims of the attack had sued the police force for reparations to cover the costs of surgery and long-term medications to treat their injuries; however, the Department of Justice called their claims "unreasonable". They had since withdrawn their case, since their lawyer - pro-democracy legislator Albert Ho - is now in jail, leaving them feeling helpless and deprived of justice.

Source: Stand News
Caption Translation: Real Hong Kong News

#YuenLong721 #StandNews #Documentation #Report

#47Democrats #PrimaryElection #MassArrest
"To Plea or Not To Plea guilty" is a queation that suffocates defendants

47 lawmakers, academia, and activist are being suspected of organising and participating in the primary election in 2020. They are being accused of "conspiring subversion of state".

In the 139-page of case study, it revealed that 5 of the defendants were classified as "major organisers" - #BennyTai, a legal scholar; #AuNokHin, a former legislator; #ChiuKaYin and #ChungKamLun, former district council members; and #GordonNg, an activist.

Among them, only Gordon Ng decided to plea not guilty.

Gordon Ng Concern Group wrote a post on social media after the release of the restrictions on reporting the cases, referring to Ng's perspective that he is "definitely not believing" that he had violated the law,  and therefore, "I will face it despite being afraid”.

Ng said that he spent most of his time thinking about whether or not to plead guilty since being charged one and a half years ago. This question "makes him breathless" as his answer would most likely affect the second half of his life, with too many factors to consider.

He mentioned up until now, no defendant under the #NSL case has successfully been acquitted of their charges and described the space for discusiion, as an unknown as it required a lot of human and material resources. He asked, "is there a better way to use the resources spent on me?"

Ng understands that if he pleads guilty, his one-third of his original sentence may be cut. Yet, he is still unsure whether he is classified as a "main person", "with large crime" or "proactive participant". The category can seriously affect his sentence, from under three years to life imprisonment.

In addition, Ng stated that the case caught local and international attention, and as a result, he reflects on whether he has the responsibility to consider the view of civic society. He is an #Australian citizen, and the Australian government once published a statement raising concerns on the case. Therefore, he reflects, "Will my defence statement affect their views on the case?"

Gordon Ng admitted that he had no answer for most of his questions, but a fundamental question struck him - Do you think you had violated the law? "No, I absolutely don't think so. Therefore, I decide not to plead."

There is no way for him to get rid of the unknowns. He can only face it with courage. "I have prepared to fight for myself on the court. That is the largest battle in my life."

[Editor note: Gordon Ng is not a candidate for the election nor represents any political parties or organisations but a passerby on #LIHKG (named Lee Bak Lou, indicating liberal). He was the initiator of #LegCoPetition. It is a petition aimed to quantify people's voices and to call people to vote for the winners in the primary election and not to vote for candidates who do not support, participate or comply with the primary election. This petition puts pressure on candidates to adhere to the election results.]

Source: InMedia, GordonNgConcernGroup Facebook Page #Aug18

https://bit.ly/3Ctdhek
https://bit.ly/3Rb3rSD

Read more about the case:

Jan 6, 2021:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27802

Feb 28, 2021:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28799

Mar 1-2, 2021:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28876
.