A group of young people in Ukraine have held a protest outside the Chinese embassy in Kiev in order to express solidarity with Hong Kong’s jailed activists.
The protest was a “political performance” organised by the Free Hong Kong Centre, which is part of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine. The league was founded in 2015 in order to foster the development of liberal democracy in Ukraine.
The group’s chairperson Arthur Kharytonov visited Hong Kong last March and met Demosisto’s Joshua Wong, Nathan Law, and Youngspiration’s Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching.
On Thursday, around a dozen Free Hong Kong Centre members gathered outside the Chinese embassy, holding posters printed with the face of Joshua Wong bearing the words “Free Joshua.”
Another poster showed the names of Joshua Wong, Raphael Wong and Lester Shum crossed out, next to the face of Xi Jinping with the caption “Who’s Next?”
One member of the centre was dressed in yellow with a chain around her neck, while her mouth was covered with red tape. She also carried a yellow umbrella – a symbol of the 2014 Umbrella Movement.
“We are asking the world to support our idea and to start worldwide campaign against political repression in Hong Kong! The message is clear: China is not a friend, China is a prison!” the group said on Facebook on Thursday.
Aside from demanding the immediate release of “political prisoners,” the protesters also asked that China stop the persecution of human rights activists and pro-democracy individuals who “suffer from harsh repression and persecution.”
The Free Hong Kong Centre also organised a protest last October urging China to release Wong and other jailed activists, according to Stand News.
