This is an urgent appeal from Hong Kong.
The clock is ticking—we need your help.
We are a group of Hongkongers from all walks of life, living in Hong Kong and across the world.
We are fighting for the future of our beloved city. In order to tell our story to the world, we raised over USD$1.5 million through crowdfunding from over 20,000 donors to fund various print and digital advertisements to promote our cause.
We demand more than the formal withdrawal of the controversial extradition bill. We need justice, freedom and democracy. Now.
At first we stood up—over two million of us in a city of seven million—to oppose the controversial extradition bill that would effectively break down the legal firewall that separates us from China. We did so because we strongly believe that every person should live under the rule of law and a just legal system, both of which are absent in China. To date, the Hong Kong government has not only refused to formally withdraw the bill, it has also turned itself into an apparatus of repression. In particular, the Hong Kong police force has repeatedly violated our human rights, and this has sadly become part of our daily lives. In the name of law and order, protestors are arbitrarily arrested and selectively prosecuted—with blanket impunity to the police officers and alleged thugs-for-hire and police officers.
We need an independent commission of inquiry to find out the truth and root cause of this entire saga. We need to hold those who have violated our rights and freedoms accountable. We also call for the release of all the arrested protesters unconditionally. These measures are all crucial for society to heal and come to reconciliation.
Ultimately, we are calling for justice, freedom and democracy. Now. We need a genuine democracy where we are able to elect our leaders and representatives through universal suffrage and to ensure they are accountable. This is the only solution to the deadlock that Hong Kong is currently facing. In fact, this is what was promised by China in the Basic Law, the constitution of our city. We are asking nothing more than that.
Hong Kong is the last bastion of freedom within China’s borders. Should Hong Kong fall, the world would lose the last safe harbour for dissent and for the dissemination of China’s crimes against its citizens. The international community would risk not having the ability to find out how China has inhumanely treated its people. A new iron curtain will emerge.
Should China decide to directly intervene and violently suppress the protests in Hong Kong in a manner similar to the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989, this would cause immense instability throughout the Asia Pacific region and directly impact the already fragile global economy. Given Hong Kong’s economic importance, it is very likely that there would be widespread collateral damage to the markets and neighbouring economies.
Hong Kong holds a paramount economic position in the world. Please stand with us as we defend our home.
Please call on your government to exert diplomatic pressure on the Hong Kong and Chinese governments and to adopt policies promoting Hongkongers’ rights, freedom and safety, such as sanctions and bans on arms exports.
Please bear witness to Hongkongers’ fight for freedom. Tell our story––especially if we can no longer do it ourselves.
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If you would like to further support the people of Hong Kong, you can refer to this list of organizations providing legal and financial support to injured protesters, and local news outlets providing independent coverage of the protests.
