By Isabelle King (Y12)
She was 14 when the National Security Act was imposed in Hong Kong, which is a sweeping piece of legislation that criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and foreign collusion. It carries penalties up to life imprisonment if such an act is committed within or outside of Hong Kong. It is widely criticized by human rights organisations because it can allow authorities to arrest people for forms of protest or political speech which are otherwise considered Free Speech. However, it is important to note that arrest does not necessarily mean imprisonment, as these cases are still put through the court system.
She was 14 when she went to her first protest, where she first saw violence on that scale. In this protest, she mentions that she saw police brutality in a way that she had never experienced before, with tear gas being deployed and a police officer stepping on a protester’s neck, which deeply impacted her from a young age. She saw firsthand that she couldn’t trust the systems in place to protect her to also protect her human right to expression.
From that moment, she knew she had to do something about it, and she began advocating for the freedom of Hong Kong’s citizens in the UK, where her family had self-exiled. She facilitated this defiance through founding activist groups in Leeds, UK. During this time, she co-founded Leeds Umbrella CIC, which supports Hong Kongers living in the UK with rehabilitation such as teaching English, mental health support, employment support, and promoting Hong Kong cultural centers in the UK.
In 2024, when Cheung was just 19, she had a bounty placed on her head of HK$1,000,000, which translates to £110’621 an astounding number. She was accused of collusion with foreign forces and incitement to concession. This did not stop her advocacy, though, and she continues to come to sessions such as the Geneva Summit to spread awareness on the atrocities committed in Hong Kong that continue to this day.
In her speech, she also talks about her friend Anna Quark, whose father was imprisoned in place of her as she had self-exiled to the United States to continue her activism. Chloe Cheung states, “The message is if we can’t silence you, we will hurt the people you love.” This is a chilling message to believe that the government would regard its citizens as merely disposable in the face of quelling pro-democracy protests. She makes a similar point in her speech, becoming emotional on behalf of the Hong Kongers, telling the audience that we should “stand with Hong Kong, to stand with freedom and democracy.” If you’re reading this article, then this is your chance to read more about the situation in Hong Kong and find ways to support the people. I recommend donating to the Hong Kong Watch at this link: https://www.hongkongwatch.org/donate. They fund international advocacy and support political prisoners such as Anna Quark’s father. If you’d like to watch Chloe Cheung’s speech for yourself, which conveys a stronger message than I was able to write, here’s the link: https://genevasummit.org/?playlist=3b60028&video=d5f5bf9.