Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists are trying to ‘resume’ in the UK | European News
“It’s not just people coming here, I’m going home!”
Many Hong Konger who have fled the area since China ordered their demolition National Security Act (NSL) almost a year ago did not know when – or at all – they would be able to go home.
Democrats and elected politicians have been under pressure since protests swept the city in 2019. Some have been sentenced to life imprisonment while others have been imprisoned for setting up and participating in the protests.
Thursday, police arrested five officers of Apple Daily, an anti-democratic newspaper founded in 1995, accusing them of “collaborating with foreign groups”, an offense under the NSL.
In lifeboats
Hong Kongers unwittingly began fleeing to other countries, to avoid fraudulent detention or isolation where they were no longer recognized.
On October 14, 2020, Hong Kong’s first protagonist was granted protection in Germany and, since then, countries including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have implemented various “boat rescue” measures for Hong Kong’s democratic freedom fighters in need of protection.
The European Parliament has also suggested that member states participate in international travel.
The program of UK policy, launched on January 31, opens the way to the country.
About 34,000 Hong Kongers registered visas in the United Kingdom in the first three months, according to Oxford University.
Some of these migrants have enough money to live on their own in their new home or to move to a job that helps them find work. Others have no access, they are forced to share living space in the UK as they try to rebuild their lives thousands of miles away.
They come from a variety of backgrounds in Hong Kong, with a wide range of people experiencing a variety of experiences, but they are united by their commitment to democracy and the fear of returning to where they once felt.
