Faced with the threat of prosecution for anything promoting greater autonomy or independence for the restless city, residents are using wordplay and even subverting Chinese Communist Party dogma to express frustration.
'REFUSE TO BE SLAVES.' A man walks past graffiti, a line from the Chinese national anthem that reads, 'Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves,' in Hong Kong on July 3, 2020. Photo by Isaac Lawrence/AFP
On a bridge in the busy shopping district of Causeway Bay, a key spot for pro-democracy protests over the past year, traffic thunders past newly daubed graffiti that declares:"Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves".And while the graffiti could conceivably have been written by a patriotic nationalist, it is most likely a declaration of dissent.
"In a public space, one might either not say anything or use an 'officially-approved' language to protect themselves," he told AFP."But hidden language is something that cannot be banned by laws."The local government on Thursday said the popular protest slogan"Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" would now be deemed illegal.
Others have gone for English slogans that appear positive but are a clear dig at Beijing -- for example the Trumpian phrase"Make Hong Kong Great."During protests a day after the law was enacted, police announced they had arrested a man with a flag that read"Hong Kong Independence", posting a picture.
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