Another East Asian cultural context here:
Beijing often imply Han supremacy over 🇯🇵🇰🇷. Recent years, many patriotic netizens fought wars over how Japanese & Korean cultures are “stolen” from imperial China/Middle Kingdom
🇨🇳 is an ethno-nationalist state
This narrative is remarkably similar to some united front messaging targeting China-linked diaspora groups. It relies on convincing people they will never be accepted by the West or liberal democratic countries. Of course, this is totally inaccurate. 1/2
20 years ago, I participated in my first protest in Hong Kong.
I didn’t understand why the crowd was opposed to Article 23, but my father told me that Hongkongers must show up to fight for our rights.
“Because this is Hong Kong, and we are not China yet” he said.
The whole “I can’t understand your English” thing is so racist and gross.
Leaving Canada Post almost in tears cause microaggressions aren’t micro. It’s simply racial violence, and we are always reminded why we aren’t welcomed here.
Without due process or formal guidelines to foreign influence (FI), any allegations could end someone’s career and reputation, while putting racialized politicians in further danger to racist attacks.
This does not address the issue of FI. This is only a witch-hunt.
Re- Chinese officials drag Hongkongers into the consulate grounds - an unprecedented level of aggression towards overseas activists
The consulate staff knew there would be cameras filming & their behaviours would result in outrage
So why did they do it anyways? 🧵
Everyone seems to forget there’s no single ethnicity or cultural “Chinese” identity.
“Chinese Canadian” exists only as a racial category that actively erases the diverse communities & cultural differences.
WSJ’s audacity to have a “I stand with Evan” banner on their account, but swiftly firing a racialized bilingual woman journalist in Hong Kong because she was elected to the local journalist association.
@WSJ
you aren’t even hiding your racist sexist standards anymore.
sorry not sorry wtf is the BBC Chinese channel doing street interviews asking if Hongkongers support Article 23?
Why are you baiting interviewees, knowing they can’t answer truthfully without serious consequences?
that’s harmful af, shame on you
👏🏻 the thing is…
I am not only terrified that Beijing will feel confident enough to carry out extraterritorial killings.
I am terrified because walking around as a young Asian queer woman, I could also die to racists, misogynists, homophobes.
🤷🏻♀️ I am terrified to be alive.
Mark your calendars! Saturday August 27!
Time to discuss the gendered dimensions of Hongkonger’s democratic movement!
What does accountability look like? How do we address misogyny, sexism, homophobia within our communities? What does libération mean?
Welcoming Agnes to her new life in mapleland 🇨🇦
w increased awareness of Beijing’s transnational repression, I hope she can live freely & safely here.
HK community will mobilize support for dissidents in exile, I hope I can say the same for the rest of Canadian society
Zionism is settler colonial violence touted by white nationalists & islamophobic racists to erase Palestine & Palestinians’ right to exist
So Kevin… NO. It should not be supported and it’s disappointing to see you take such a violent stance against Palestinian liberation.
This is why Zionism should be supported. It should no more be dismissed because some people commit wrongs in the name of Zionism than any faith or ideology being dismissed because some in their midst commit wrongs in the names of such faiths/ideologies.
The other thing that
the racists and Sinophobes can’t help but out themselves.
and y’all wonder why I bring up Sinophobia every time we talk about foreign interference, concerned that Chinese & Asian community members will become the victims of the latest wave of Red Scare/Yellow Peril.
CW SEXUAL ASSAULT
A must read for anyone and everyone. The tale of a serial rapist who abused his power to prey on young men.
in solidarity with the survivors who spoke up and those who chose to stay silent.
#MeToo
DW has uncovered a growing number of claims of sexual assault and harassment against Tiananmen student leader Wang Dan.
The prominent activist is facing a criminal investigation in Taiwan.
marking my official retirement 🙈
I have more to say later.
My heart is full of gratitude and love for the ACHK fam & allies who supported us in this journey 💛
Pride 🏳️🌈
It did not come easy to me, to call myself queer openly.
I never had a big “come out” moment, nor a sudden realization of my own sexuality.
Except my big sister, I’m still not-out with my family. And I don’t think I ever will be.
My grandma passed away yesterday.
She was the last elder in my family. A single mother worked most of her life as a nurse, every penny went towards her siblings, children, & grandkids.
Frugal but she always treated us to good food & great schools.
A bad ass woman.
I would like go home one day.
Another elder in my family has passed and I will miss the funeral again.
It kills me a little that I can’t even say a proper goodbye to family members that practically raised me.
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAGAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH *let me take a breather* HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAGAGHAHAHAGHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAA
FIND A BLOODY MANDARIN SPEAKER BEFORE YOU MAKE THIS FALSE CLAIM
There is only one solution: to strengthen democratic institutions.
from riding nomination races, election finances, mis/disinformation guidelines, foreign influence transparency;
from federal to provincial/territories to city halls to school boards.
showed up to parl committee with my pin 🏳️🌈
it was important to me to show up as I am, especially on a day where hateful people mobilized to occupy our cities.
Love will always win 💛
The racist and xenophobic attacks against Kelly Wong is a continuation of white nationalist rhetoric advanced by China hawks.
Remember when big stagers tried to convince us that allying with sinophobic white supremacists because they only hate “totalitarian China”?
Kelly Wong is not a citizen of the United States.
She was just appointed to the San Francisco Elections Commission.
This is her victory speech, in Chinese.
Some lessons:
> Equip yourself with protective gear: helmets, body armour, long sleeves & eye googles to safeguard from 🐷
Be smart with what you bring: change of clothes, clean water, first aid, zip ties, phones & portable batteries are always needed
A little story: My laptop was covered in stickers like, Free HK, 光復香港, & symbols from protests
Grandma: wow, your laptop can’t go back to HK 嘩你電腦一定唔返得香港喎
Me: me either 我都唔返得啦
Grandma giggled & responded in the most mischievous smile 😙 she was super proud
My grandma passed away yesterday.
She was the last elder in my family. A single mother worked most of her life as a nurse, every penny went towards her siblings, children, & grandkids.
Frugal but she always treated us to good food & great schools.
A bad ass woman.
what we are seeing is settler colonial violence in full display:
the global responses of Zionist propaganda masked as media coverage, blatantly skewed in favour of the colonial regime.
Speaking truth in the face of extreme prejudice is *radical* and it must be done.
I don’t want people to only remember the bloodied crackdown of June 4th
Remember and honour the grassroots mobilization of Chinese peoples- students, workers, teachers, even soldiers & police were empathetic.
Chinese peoples had hope for a democratic, prosperous China.
Outside the Party leaders' Zhongnanhai compound off Tiananmen Square, 1989, politics students hold a banner that says 'The power of the people can triumph over violence. The people and the soldiers are closely connected, heart to heart. Compatriots, come together and unite!'
3 years ago, two million Hongkongers marched in opposition of the Hong Kong govt’s proposed extradition bill.
A month ago, 1500 Hongkongers selected the top political leader on behalf of the city’s residents.
#StandWithHongKong
The first iteration of this was just called “grief”
We weren’t sure how to even describe the pain and emptiness we had experienced as diasporic Hongkongers.
My dear friend Joshua Wong and I came together, and this is what we wanted you all to know:
It is not shock that men perpetrate rape culture, misogyny, & sexism.
It is no shock that ethnic Chinese men, placed on a pedestal, use their power to sexually abuse those with lesser power.
It is no shock that other ethnic Chinese men on a pedestal stay silent.
#米兔
it’s almost as if these discussions to ban TikTok/WeChat are grounded in Sinophobia and never about community safety
If so, we would be talking about industry-wide issues with surveillance, censorship & violence in online spaces. And not selectively target certain apps.
I don't have words that can adequately capture how it feels to watch the resistance of Chinese mainlanders across the country and the globe.
In solidarity.
DOWN WITH THE CCP. BURN IT. BURN IT ALL DOWN.
hi dear Canadian journos & media folks,
if you are *now* looking for ethnic chinese folks to interview for your coverage, I need you to answer these:
what took you so long to seek out racialized community voices?
how will you facilitate a safe and secured exchange?
I have no doubt these tactics will be deemed as a success internally, and passed onto other embassies and consulates (& other regimes) around the world.
We will need to adapt new safety & security procedures for future direct actions.
Hold on tight folks. 香港人加油
🎤 ahem* yes I’m calling Hongkongers the fuck out 🫡
Are we still pretending Hawley is an ally when he wants the National Guard to crackdown on students?
Are we still not condemning Hawley for using Hong Kong for his own agenda?
DLLM 香港人唔需要Hawley呢啲死仆街
stop acting like we welcome newcomers
HK had a long shitty history of xenophobia & state violence against migrants. This city CONTINUES to treat non-Han individuals like shit.
This is a huge move & setting an important precedent -
@joannachiu
has the exclusive tea!
Huawei is not *just* a tech company, it’s founder & work is closely associated with the People’s Liberation Army & policing institutions in the PRC
#cdnpoli
Canada’s top-rated research university will end all its partnerships with Chinese telecoms giant
#Huawei
.
“We are disentangling ourselves from this company,” Charmaine Dean, vice-president of research at the University of Waterloo, told me exclusively.
The dichotomy is wild.
It’s either “your English is so good (for a coloured person)” or “your English isn’t proper (for white people to understand you)”.
Existing in this violent world is exhausting and I’m just gonna sit in my car to sob before going home.
Happy to share another article 💛
Without hesitation, pushing back pro-Beijing narratives of a unified diaspora.
How to defend our homes from Beijing’s overreach and influence?
From Joshua Wong (HALIFAX) and I:
Defending our homes, 🇭🇰 & 🇨🇦
the PRC’s dam projects in occupied Tibet will displace Tibetan communities locally and threaten downstream communities transnationally.
Damming Tibet’s rivers will also be detrimental to local ecosystems, causing irreversible environmental damage.
These caucus removals have only impacted racialized politicians, and are not addressing the FI issue in this country, but proving to be more partisan games and politicking.
But white politicians will not ever be held to the same standard.
Would you like a splash of misogynistic online violence with your afternoon tea?
汉奸 is simplified Chinese, best translated as “race traitor against Han peoples”
this is why I limited replies 🙈
a transphobic & homophobic Hongkonger is running for office under the Conservative Party of Canada banner
I will never ever throw my support behind him nor people like him, even if they claim to share the same pro-democratic views.
恐同恐跨香港人永遠都唔係我手足 食屎啦仆街 💛
3) pushing the boundaries on what is (un)acceptable as a foreign mission
The Chinese mission is testing how the host nations of consulate/embassy respond, and whether there will be consequences.
Basically, where is the red line? Would their actions qualify for expulsion?
躺平 (lay flat) is an act of resistance against state-facilitated capitalism & consumerism
its not simply a rejection of the 996 work grind (working 9a-9p, 6 days a week)
lay flat is grounded in the youths’ rejection of societal expectations & facilitate economic growth
It really matters that 1 of 8 HK overseas activists wanted under NSL is a labour unionist
@SiuTat_Mung
Exploitation of workers benefits the PRC’s economic & national security. Suppressing labour unions is a necessary component to totalitarian governance of Beijing.
"That has become the common pattern for the regime - to blackmail the activists by harassing their colleagues /family members on the ground."
Our executive director
@SiuTat_Mung
told
@AFP
"I still have low confidence to say they are safe in
#HK
"
1) it’s quite simple really: increasing the cost to attend protests around consulate/embassy grounds.
The diplomatic staff is willing to falsely criminalize activists (bomb threat) or resort to violence (beating) - knowing it may damage their reputation or diplomatic status
I’m not suggested any person is innocent.
The issue is 🇨🇦 does not have a foreign influence structure or process in place.
Whatever they are doing now, it is only a partisan reflex to try to minimize damage on the political reputation - at the cost of racialized bodies.
The title is fueling a problematic narrative.
The discourse has always shifted the blame onto Canadian MPs (& other political leaders) for a diplomatic visit to Taiwan, rather than stating the obvious - PRC's wolf diplomacy in throwing a hissy fit.
There are no formal processes or guidelines for political parties to assess whether an individual should be removed from caucus due to FI.
It has always been a precarious space for politicians, especially racialized folks who are held to an arbitrarily high standard.
It is not a coincidence that some East Asian activists overseas do not challenge any forms of white supremacy.
Look at who they hang with, their values, whose power they are appealing to. They positioned themselves as benefactors of whiteness 😬
they aren’t allies, just saying.
on the scale of the world being pretty fucked up, Hong Kong arresting folks IN JAIL for violating Article 23 feels like cherry on top of a very shitty cake.
Alleged sexual abuser Wang Dan & his posse are silencing activists that bring up Wang’s allegations
Wang has made it clear that if you dare to bring up
#MeToo
, he will lead lateral violence to bully & reject you in the established dissident spaces
Just got out of a full day of roundtable meeting.
We poured our heart and soul into this, detailing the various aspects of PRC interference in Canadian election.
#cdnpoli
ACHK releases new report: Murky Waters: Beijing’s Influence in Canadian Democratic and Electoral Processes
The report offers an in-depth analysis into tactics used by foreign principals to influence & interfere in Canadian electoral & democratic processes
This incident is following the fake bomb threats that were fabricated against another known activist.
We can blame it on the tyrannical nature of the party-state, but there needs to be critical analysis to the increasingly aggressive response of Chinese consulate & embassies.
4 yrs ago on October 1
Hongkongers gathered on Parliament to protest the Chinese government’s suppression of the pro-democracy movement.
Pro-Beijing patriots came, assaulted a Hongkonger in front of parl security & RCMP officers. They eventually kettled HKers (aka surrounded us
Ahem. Ma’am.
You aren’t even from the city, what the fuck expertise you got to speak about Hong Kong & make false claims over the Cantonese language.
Maybe you lack intellectual depth to provide commentary about PRC’s active effort to assimilate the city by sinicization 🤷🏻♀️
that white dude running a HKer org reposted El0n’s transphobic & anti-choice shit meme
Disgusting.
Clear that this org & its leadership don’t give a fuck about trans rights or reproductive rights.
Take your shite allyship and go the fuck away.
Palestine must be free.
But erasing one of the most important moments in Chinese modern history of a national-wide massacre of peaceful protesters…
to make ??? point?
The image of the zip tied Palestinian crushed by a tank beyond recognition is surreal. US liberals will wave the image of the Tank Man, who was never crushed, as a reminder of ‘Chinese tyranny’ while supporting the existence &violence of a country that crushes Palestinian bodies.
dis why I don’t fuck with East Asian/Hongkongers so-called “activists” who are purposely silent on Black Lives Matter, Land Back, and Palestinian liberation 👀
If you are not all-in for Black & Indigenous liberation, you can’t sit with us 🙅🏻♀️
And this does include Black, Indigenous and racialized folks.
If they are lukewarm/hesitant to speak out, I'll guarantee you, they'll be playing it safe the whole time.
And if they are against...well, they can throw their lot in with the oppressors
With an uptick of HKers migrating to the UK, it was the perfect timing to test new tactics to deter & threaten overseas activists.
The aggressive response to activists holding direct action is part of the party-state’s work to continue transnational political suppression.
shall we have a broader conversation about the network of “China watchers” whose work are coloured by narratives of the Red Scare & Yellow Peril 👀
if you wonder: how did the discourse turn racist..
it didn’t turn racist, it has always been driven by racism.
when BIWOC are facing severe threats, white women are silent
when white women are called out, it’s “harassment”
Explain like I’m 5: what’s the word when white women weaponize their fragility to their advantage…
Ah yes. white supremacy.
When people harming vulnerable groups with deliberate one-sided narratives whine about being called out + call accountability “harassment” — while this is what harassment looks like in my world.
But false equivalence to further target victims is fun.
It’s called privilege.
Let’s be real about this:
Article 23 is going to further suppress the civil rights discussion within HKSAR and amongst the Hongkonger diaspora.
As an outspoken critic of PRC/HKSAR, it did little to challenge my activism for a free and democratic Hong Kong. 🧵
Happy Lunar New Year!
I wish for your great mental-physical health!
Those in exile, I wish for your swift & safe return to your homeland.
May all cops & tyrannical rulers suffer a painful death. May everyone from all corners of Earth be liberated & enjoy a good life.
seeing senior China watchers, particularly older men, attack younger women for *daring* to offer a different perspective is correlated to the lack of diverse views within the Canada-China policy space
the layers of sexism, ageism, racism, & Han supremacy to unpack here…
how have I received 9years of education in Mandarin and still have no clue how to type in Chinese (速成 or pinyin)
IT IS A SHAME ON THE HONG KONG EDUCATION SYSTEM (yes I blame HKSAR)
One of the fam elders passed away earlier this week.
He was a deserter of the People’s Liberation Army. Planning to smuggle into Hong Kong, he stole supplies from the PLA.
Later in life, he immigrated to 🇨🇦 w his family.
A fucking legend. I’ll miss you grand uncle George 💛
Still waiting for the signed employment contract.
I knew I should have negotiated reproductive rights and disbanding the electoral college into my agreement with the US Govt.
Gosh darn it /s
2) the heightened aggression affirms fear among the diaspora & activist networks
For many who already felt uncomfortable to attend consulate/embassy protests, the heightened aggression may successfully deter them away from these direct actions.
If Canada-US relations are reliant on ice cream quality, then we are in good hands.
@MooShuIceCream
is also a socially-conscious local biz, using local ingredients, a living wage employer, and makers of diverse flavours of ice cream.
buy a suspended scoop when you visit next!
‘SCOOP’: Waiting pool reporters were curious what was on offer at the Biden/Trudeau meet-up last night, are told it was “Friend-chip” ice cream made by local producer
@MooShuIceCream
. Flavour was maple with chocolate chips and marshmallow.
#ottcity
#ottnews
New year, new book: Among the Braves by
@ShibaniMahtani
@TMclaughlin3
Perhaps cPTSD/perpetual exhaustion had impacted my memories, reading the book was like reliving the critical moments of Hong Kong’s 2019-20 protest movement.
Read it in under 24 hours. Still digesting.
Not getting actively bombed is not an indicator that Uyghur and Tibetan communities aren’t dying.
Westerners want any justification to look away and avoid holding the PRC accountable for their atrocities.
This isn’t an intellectual debate. PRC is conducting a fucking genocide.
It’s fine that Uyghurs are making your iPhones & fast fashion garments under inhumane working conditions.
Or that Uyghur women are being married off to Han families & raped.
Or that Mongolian Uyghur & Tibetan languages are wiped from the PRC.
But no one is getting bombed.
🇨🇦 officials openly said to dissidents that there is NOTHING they could do for our families if they encounter troubles. I don’t imagine 🇬🇧🇦🇺🇺🇸🇳🇿 would be any different.
This is only the beginning of the increased aggression towards overseas HK activists.
I often forget this global case study report on foreign influence.
in 7 days, the United Front has the capacity to organize counter-demonstrations against pro-democracy Hongkongers across seven provinces, in the US, in Europe, in Asia, and in Australia.
It has been 1yr since the CCP coordinated global disruption of the “Global Solidarity with HK” events. With the help of HK diasporic community groups, ACHK compiled a detailed report to analyze the nuance in how Beijing mobilizes.
>>
During the '19 protest movement, I met
@oliviachow
before launching ACHK, & we talked about the democratic future of Hong Kong.
Olivia encouraged me, she put her support into action, facilitating me to meet with the established HK diaspora organizers.
Gimme a million words & I won’t find the right ones to express my feelings on
@alliancecanhk
dissolution today 💛
太多口水啦我
諗住短短地,寫一篇自我反省
點知 嗯 寫咗成篇文 🥹
🧵 1/2
5 years since Hongkongers stormed the Legislative Council.
For over a century, the city of Hong Kong was denied political autonomy.
LegCo was never representative of Hongkongers. Designed by our oppressors & colonizers to pacify the city’s volition for a democratic future. 🧵
After spending a few days in Van, I wrote my analysis for C-70 in CANTONESE 😭
oh the significance of this!!! I had never written or think about policy in Cantonese, this is the first time ever before 🥲
and I hope I can bring policy to the Hongkonger community from now on 💛
Thank you
@DavidWCochrane
for having me!
I look forward to seeing more diasporic & racialized voices in news media, not only to tell their stories, but to be highlighted subject-matter experts in the public discourse.
Cherie Wong, executive director of Alliance Canada Hong Kong, says the diaspora has been warning about Chinese interference in elections for years - but many are afraid to speak out.
✨ HONEY ✨ wake up
the warrants issued aren’t for HKSAR residents. HKSAR is literally enforcing an extraterritorial law on foreign citizens.
How about PRC butt out of other countries’ sovereignty? 👀
@CanadaFP
@CanadaUN
Stop political manipulation! Stop pointing fingers at Hong Kong police for upholding the rule of law. Stop attempting to disrupt HKSAR’s prosperity and stability.
This is an issue of sovereignty, national security and rule of law that brooks no interference.
QT me all you want
How about show some goddamn humanity & solidarity for 1million+ Uyghurs in concentration camps, Uyghurs in forced labour factories, and Tibetan children taken from their families to attend assimilation schools.
Fuck you
In the past, activists would “gear up” by wearing masks, hats, unidentifiable clothing, covering up tattoos to attend a protest at the consulate/embassy.
Now, there’s a higher level of risk for activists, which force them to assess whether they can be safe (or feel safe) to go.
If you are about to use the word brave to describe dissidents, please don’t.
You would be overlooking all pain, guilt, discomfort, anger, sadness, anxiety, and love behind their work - overlooking their humanity.
Dissidents aren’t heroes, they are humans.
When people show you that they welcome rapists, racists, misogynists into their network - you better believe it.
They are showing you EXACTLY who they are & what they stand for.