In early June last year, a large march and street protests broke out in Hong Kong against the Chinese movement, but this year, affected by the new pneumonia epidemic and the Hong Kong National Security Law, the street protests have calmed down, and the “Lennon Wall”, which was blooming in various districts to express the voices of Hong Kong people, has almost disappeared.
Some young people recently took advantage of the Christmas holiday to hold “Lennon says” exhibition and Christmas market, to recreate part of the Lennon wall of the face of the wild, by volunteers to tell the story behind the Lennon wall. One of the exhibition promoters said that the space for freedom of expression in Hong Kong has been drastically narrowed under the National Security Law, and they insisted on holding the exhibition with a gambling mentality, psychologically prepared that some promoters might be arrested or even criminally liable. The more pressure, the stronger”.
The first time the “Lennon Wall” appeared in a social movement in Hong Kong was during the Umbrella Movement in late September 2014, when a large number of people showed their solidarity with students fighting for genuine universal suffrage for the Chief Executive in 2017 by occupying Harcourt Road outside the government headquarters in Admiralty.
Hong Kong’s anti-Send-China movement Lennon Wall almost extinct
The large Lennon Wall was also removed after the Admiralty occupation zone was cleared in December 2014. In early June last year, a large number of protesters rebuilt the Lennon Wall outside the government headquarters in Admiralty, and as street protests blossomed, the Lennon Wall of the anti-China movement also blossomed in various districts, developing distinctive Lennon Walls in each district. This is a unique street scenery of the anti-China campaign.
This year, due to the impact of the new pneumonia epidemic and the national security law officially implemented in Hong Kong late on June 30, the street protests tend to calm down, and the space for Hong Kong people’s freedom of speech and expression has been significantly narrowed.
Young people organize “Lennon says” exhibition to review the face of the protest
A number of young “Lennon friends”, who met last year because of the Lennon Wall, recently took advantage of the Christmas holidays to hold a “Lennon Speaks” exhibition and Christmas bazaar to recreate some of the faces of the Lennon Wall, with volunteers telling the stories behind the Lennon Wall and reviewing a unique street protest landscape belonging to Hong Kong people.
Hugo, one of the initiators, said in an interview with the Voice of America that after the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong in July this year, when the social movement was silent, one of the Lennon friends, “Fat Cat Master”, conceived the exhibition about this time Lennon said, hoping to arouse the people of Hong Kong to continue to stand firm in their beliefs. Later, “Fat Cat Master” was convicted and sentenced to prison at the end of October for a protest case, and other “friends” insisted on organizing this exhibition in order to fulfill his wish.
The initiator of the exhibition was prepared to be arrested under the National Security Law
Hugo frankly said that the space for freedom of expression in Hong Kong under the National Security Law has been significantly narrowed, and they insisted on holding the exhibition with the mentality of “gambling”, and were psychologically prepared that some promoters might be arrested or even held criminally responsible.
Hugo said: “In fact, we do this exhibition and bazaar thing, I think we are called behind a bet, we may be someone need to take legal responsibility, may be arrested. In fact, the first day, we also have the person in charge of the ID card (information) was copied, I do not know if there will be prosecution after, we are not clear for the time being, for the time being at least that is to know is that our activities can continue, although there is a little incomplete, different.”
Hugo said that the four-day exhibition started last Thursday (December 24) Christmas Eve and ended on Sunday (December 27), while the first day of the exhibition has been a FEHD staff to the site inspection, the use of some regulations require the cancellation of the exhibition. The staff later sealed off some of the exhibits, put away some of the text introducing the exhibits, and let the volunteers tell the story behind the Lennon Wall instead, but some of the initiators were still registered by the authorities for their ID card information.
The staff has sealed off some exhibits and replaced them with word-of-mouth expressions.
Hugo said the national security law restricts the freedom of expression, but instead, the volunteers will tell the story by word of mouth, which is not expected to violate the law, and insist on holding the exhibition.
Hugo said: “In fact, there is no national security law, in fact, we all want to pass out, maybe now we can not say some words, even we see some of the exhibits, some things are sealed up, we are also suppressed by some government departments, with some regulations to make our exhibition to be forced to cancel, but we all want to try to present, we use the mouth to speak, can not let You see (exhibits), may display out of things it (authorities) said can not, but speak above, we speak it will not be able to pick on us, we continue to try hard to do, we have arranged more manpower today, that is, in the last day to try to present the exhibition, we have spent a lot of thought in the exhibition.”
At the entrance of the exhibition there are two large transparent tape, the middle is full of colorful small notice stickers, written on the voice of Hong Kong people for democracy and freedom, recreating the scenery of the Lennon Wall in Admiralty Government Headquarters. Hugo said that these are carefully recreated replicas by volunteers.
Hugo said: “These words are actually, I believe that the voice of Hong Kong people to come, inside because that piece (tape) we actually left in Admiralty Lennon wall, this piece is we found some volunteers to create some replicas to come, those words are actually some volunteers want to speak out of things, some of them are very attentive to write a long time. “
The faith of the symbolic Lennon wall can not be torn away
Last year, many areas of the Lennon wall was destroyed by people with different political views, there are Lennon wall volunteers were injured, the Lennon wall in Tseung Kwan O even beheading case, a female supporter was beheaded to seriously injured, once in critical condition.
Hugo said that part of the exhibition to introduce the wall of Lennon posted slogans and posters of the materials continue to evolve, so that people with different political views are not easy to tear away the propaganda and slogans, but also means that the belief of Lennon wall can not be torn away.
Hugo said: “I will try to explain to people know our original intention, at first we used some spray paint to paste (propaganda), it is very easy to tear, and then use some wallpaper powder, it is difficult to tear off, may be hard to tear may not tear off, with a shovel can be cleared away, to the final change to use white English mud, with a shovel are very difficult to shovel away, hand is impossible to tear away, our original Our original exhibition is to bring out the belief that it is impossible to tear away.”
The more you press, the stronger you get”
Hugo said that under the suppression of the authorities, the exhibition still continues, and there are a large number of people lined up to visit the venue every day, he believes that the response is quite enthusiastic, but also reflects that the public does not want to remember last year’s protests.
Hugo also said that the Hong Kong Lennon wall 6 years ago by the Umbrella Movement began to appear, to last year, the anti-sending movement in various districts flowering, but this year, after the implementation of the National Security Law, the streets of the Lennon field almost extinct, and even moved to indoor exhibitions are suppressed by the authorities, but he believes that the hearts of Hong Kong people Lennon wall will not disappear, hope that the people of Hong Kong to practice the symbolism of the Lennon wall: “beliefs tear not away”, “the more pressure the stronger”.
Hugo said: “I think this thing (the implementation of national security law in Hong Kong) are very serious suppression to the people of Hong Kong, but it seems that just you have walked by a location, and finally at the top there is a (slogan), that is, ‘the more pressure the stronger’, we hope that this thing to come over the people have seen, that is, we have not given up.”
Visitors criticized the Hong Kong government ignored the voice of the public
A university student who visited the “Lennon Says” exhibit and went by the name “Hong Kong People” in her 20s said in an interview with the Voice of America that she believes the anti-Send China movement is not over, plus the government’s crackdown is getting more and more powerful, so she hopes to continue her support by visiting the exhibit so the movement can continue.
“Hong Kong People” said that the Lennon Wall represents the spirit and voice of Hong Kong people’s resistance, but unfortunately, from the Umbrella Movement six years ago to last year’s anti-China campaign, the government has ignored the voices of the public.
Hong Kong people said: “2014 umbrella (movement) when (Lennon wall) is only in Admiralty Harcourt Road, but to last year’s time has been the flowering of various districts, it (Lennon wall) is a symbol of the spirit of Hong Kong people, can be distributed in 18 districts like that, and when representing the place where the regime: Admiralty this place, the voice of the public is not heard, Lennon wall on the flowering of various districts, the government often says it wants to listen to the views of the public, but in fact the views of the public is reflected in the Lennon wall, but we have not gone to see it?”
A new path for Hong Kong’s democratic movement
Hong Kong people said that the Lennon Wall can reflect the voices of people with different political views, and in the exhibition also see the different roles of the public in the anti-sending movement, is a national movement, the community of destiny of Hong Kong people. Hong Kong people also said that the national security law narrowed the space for people’s speech and expression, but precisely because the space is tightening, people still use all means to fight for the space for expression when it is the embodiment of freedom.
She quoted the famous book “The Power of the Powerless” by Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic. She believes that Hong Kong people should do what they can, such as reading more, communicating more, establishing a more concrete democratic system and philosophy, and exploring new paths of resistance.
“Hong Kong people” said to reporters: “to explore new paths and to read more books, history will tell us a lot of things, because Havel his place at the time, they are to go through more than a decade, South Korea are to more than a decade (to fight for democracy), Taiwan‘s history is also, so do not think that a year of such resistance on the ‘work’ (completed), ‘have row to ah’ (but also endure a long time)!
“Hong Kong people” said, this time Lennon said the exhibition is a reflection of the history written by the people, refuting the official argument that “students are thugs” and so on, she believes that this is one of the faces of Hong Kong’s civil history, breaking the stereotype that history is written by the victors.
Lennon Wall first appears in Prague, Czech Republic
The Lennon Wall first appeared in the Czech capital of Prague in 1988, when a large crowd of people discontented with the communist regime in Prague wrote rebellious slogans on a wall in the main square of the Prague Monastery, including a portrait of John Lennon, the soul of the legendary Beatles, and the lyrics of the song, which later developed into a clash between students and police. Some of the participants were called “Lennonites” because John Lennon has been seen as an important cultural symbol of anti-war and peace since the 1980s.
The wall was named after John Lennon, but he never visited the wall himself because John Lennon was shot dead by a crazed fan in his apartment in New York City on December 8, 1980, and the wall only appeared in 1988. Although John Lennon never visited the Lennon Wall, the crowd kept his spirit alive in the form of graffiti, words, and even street singing.
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