Looking back at an April 1st that was no laughing matter as far as Hong Kong's concerned

What compels people to stand shoulder to shoulder with others

for hours in the rain on a packed street?  Those who were 

out there on August 18th, 2019, will be able to tell you

 

And, in all honesty, my personal observations and experience involved 

people spending far more time standing than walking in the rain that day!

 

For those Hong Kongers who thought that the past month was bad (and ended on a particularly bad note) and hoped that this new month would be better: I hate to say it but my sense is that you'd an April Fool if you honestly believe that this will be the case.  For yesterday brought more misery for Hong Kong -- this time by way of the conviction of seven of its veteran political activists for organizing and/or participating in an unauthorized protest march  back on August 18th, 2019, that attracted some 1.7 million participants.   

If truth be told, their being found guilty was not much in doubt since their trial began some four weeks ago -- on account of the record of the judge assigned to the case with regards to cases involving extradition bill protestors, her being a designated national judge, and what the legal system in Hong Kong has become. And this all the more so after district judge Amanda Woodcock refused to admit a report prepared by British policing expert Clifford Stott early on during the proceedings.  

 

What remains to be determined though is their sentence: which can go up to a maximum of five years according to some reports (and ten years according to others). Either way, they are really absurd in light of the "crimes" they have been found guilty of committing.  And this particularly when you take into account the caliber and character of the people convicted, and the fact that they are all senior citizens.

 

For the record: veteran lawyer and former politicians Martin Lee Chu-ming, Margaret Ng and Albert Ho are aged 82, 73 and 69 years of age respectively; Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee is 73 years old; former legislative councillors Cyd Ho Sau-lan and "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung are aged 66 and 64 respectively; while trade unionist is Lee Cheuk-yan another 64 year old.  Thus it is that if the eldest of them, Martin Lee, is given the full sentence, he could be as old as 92 years when he is eventually is released from prison.  And then consider that the likes of Jimmy Lai, "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung and Lee Cheuk-yan are facing multiple charges pertaining to the protests and more.

 

A sliver of a silver lining was that bail was granted -- despite the prosecution's opposition -- for those not already behind bars on other charges.  They thus are free until the day of their sentencing: April 16th; which is just 14 days away now.

 

In the precious time that they have left before then, I wonder how much time they'll have and/or devote to looking back at that fateful day which saw some 20 percent of Hong Kong's total population turn up to be counted and discover that, in the words of history professor Jeppe Mulich, "if you try to fit a fifth of the city into Victoria Park, they fill up the streets all the way through Wan Chai."  Whatever amount of time they spend on looking back at that day, I hope it's not with bitterness.  

 

To be sure, there can't be any satisfaction to their facing prison sentences for 1.7 million people essentially offering Carrie Lam a peace offering.  At the same time, I think I speak for a multitude of people when I say that I saw and experienced much that made me proud of Hong Kong that day -- and the memory of that day is one that actually gives me much more faith in Hong Kong than would otherwise be the case in these undoubtedly terrible times for the city.

 

On a not unrelated note: she may be decades younger but their comrade in arms, Gwyneth Ho, is another person who I consider to have brought out, exemplify and inspire the best of Hong Kong.  Earlier this week, Quartz ran a profile/appreciation piece on the 30-year-old journalist turned activist who is currently behind bars, denied bail before her scheduled late May trial (along with 46 others) for having organized or participated in August's democratic elections.  The entire piece really is worth reading but, for today, I want to share the following two paragraphs of it:-

“One thing Gwyneth taught me is that it’s not the consequence of the action that defines the action…Anything looks futile if you look at it that way,” said the friend who wished to remain anonymous.

“There isn’t an action where if you do that thing, you suddenly overthrow the CCP, or there’s democracy in Hong Kong. It’s the action itself that defines the action: the sheer experience and the sheer memories of different individuals making their own decisions and sacrifices is reinforcing the community.”

Following from this, the piece's author, Mary Hui, has shared about a recent letter from prison Gwyneth Ho wrote that had her musing: "How does a community evolve from being bound by shared memories, a theoretical idea, to deepen into a functioning system?" Continuing in Twitter speak, Hui reports that Ho has "urged HKers to redouble efforts to build ties & reinforce the public sphere."  In other words: Hong Kongers, persist!