Beijing will go to any lengths to harass the Hong Kong diaspora and its allies. But we will keep speaking out
We are from two different backgrounds and political traditions – you’d think we might have little in common. Yet China has sought to silence us both, and we have seen at first hand how the state is trying to exert more and more power abroad.
Finn Lau woke up in London on Tuesday morning to the news that he had received an arrest warrant, and that the Beijing-controlled Hong Kong authorities were offering a HK$1m bounty for any information that could lead to his arrest. Seven other Hongkongers who fight for democracy around the world simultaneously received similar warrants and bounties.
Finn’s “crimes” include establishing the pro-democracy organisation Hong Kong Liberty, as well as engaging in “hostile activities”. Day to day, he meets politicians such as Tim Loughton, non-profit organisations, journalists and thinktanks. He organises community events for Hongkongers throughout Britain so that they have opportunities to finally exercise the freedoms that are guaranteed under international law.
