Are We Being Heard? Tools Of Protest
Are We Being Heard? Tools of Protest from Hong Kong
Read Introduction
Humans desire to be treated like humans. To have certain rights and freedoms. To be anchored by justice.
We, the people of Hong Kong, will never forget what started it all—the attempt to legalize extradition to a place where basic human rights mean nothing. But in the face of injustice we stand. And by the millions we march.
Each of the items in this collection—tools we use to protest the Extradition Bill—have a cost. They cost us our “hands and feet.” They cost us ten years in prison. They cost us a death every couple of days. They cost us the energy required to be courageous in the face of police brutality. They cost us our freedom from the risk of being “disappeared.” These costs shock us. These costs anger us, sadden us, and fuel our desire to make change.
We all want to contribute to the things we truly care about. We have been doing all we can to protect our rights. Parents volunteer to drive young protestors back home after protests. They prepare wet towels to wipe off the tear gas police fire at us. Citizens are inventing new methods of publishing unifying messages. New ways to help each other get where we need to go. A new type of currency. Everyone is finding their own way to participate. And each way is different.
At our core, humans are loving, courageous, and imaginative. We dare to desire truth and fundamental rights no matter the cost. And that’s what makes us human.
Facsimiles
Humans desire to be treated like humans. To have certain rights and freedoms. To be anchored by justice. We, the people of Hong Kong, will never forget what started it all—the attempt to legalize extradition to a place where basic human rights mean nothing. But in the face of injustice we stand. And by the millions we march.
Swimming Goggles
Swimming goggles are an essential piece of improvised defense for protestors. Wearing the goggles is an effective method to protect one’s eyes from the use of tear gas by police, in addition to preventing face-detection technology from identifying protestors. To help distribute goggles, protestors have developed a set of hand signs to indicate the location where they are needed, and create human chains to transport them.
Stainless Steel Plate
Improvised defense against lethal and non-lethal weapons is critical to the safety of protestors. Stainless steel plates commonly used to serve fish have taken on a new function at protests. The plates are an effective method of defense against tear gas canisters that are fired by police at protestors. When a tear gas canister lands in a crowd, a protestor runs over and places one of the stainless steel plates over the canister, preventing the gas from spreading.
Handmade Shields
To defend against projectiles fired by police, protestors craft handmade shields out of available materials such as wood, straps, and desk drawer handles.
Plastic Wrap
Plastic wrap has become a popular method of skin protection. The thin material helps prevent protestors from being burned by tear gas or pepper spray.
Carrie Lam Face Mask
Masks are worn by protestors to prevent being identified by police and facial recognition technology. This mask worn by a protestor is the face of Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong who led the effort to pass the Hong Kong Extradition Bill which sparked the protests. Text on face reads “Dick Face.”
Each of the items in this collection—tools we use to protest the Extradition Bill—have a cost. They cost us our “hands and feet.” They cost us ten years in prison. They cost us a death every couple of days. They cost us the energy required to be courageous in the face of police brutality. They cost us our freedom from the risk of being “disappeared.”
“Yellow Object”
At a September 2019 news conference Hong Kong police officer Vasco Williams referred to video footage of police officers purportedly kicking a “yellow object” in a Yuen Long alleyway. The video footage clearly shows the yellow object to be a man in a yellow t-shirt. Officer William’s choice of phrasing was considered by many protestors to be evidence of their dehumanization by the police.
Guy Fawkes Mask
Inspired by the movie V for Vendetta, the protesters use Guy Fawkes masks as a symbol of defiance against the government in the name of freedom and civil rights. “Ideas are bulletproof” has summarized protestors’ determination against government’s suppression and police’s excessive force.
Laser Pointer
In a time of high-tech surveillance, protestors find creative ways to avoid being identified by police. Laser pointers have become a popular method to scramble facial recognition cameras used by police to identify protestors. Student union president Keith Fong Chung-yin was arrested after purchasing 10 laser pointers, which he claimed he was using to stargaze. Police referred to the laser pointer as “laser guns,” emphasizing potential dangers of the device when pointed into the eyes of officers. After the arrest, protestors gathered outside the Hong Kong Space Museum and pointed lasers at the museum. This laser pointer was found at the site of the Hong Kong Space Museum protest.
Pen
An estimated 10,000 high school students from 200 schools voluntarily boycotted classes and formed a “human chain” to draw attention to their “five demands.” Some students who could not or did not want to hold the hands of a member of the opposite sex, instead held onto the opposite ends of pens. By using this writing instrument, or in some cases umbrellas, or paper, they were able to continue the human chain to show their solidarity. Even if they were too young to hold hands together, they were old enough to protest.
These costs shock us. These costs anger us, sadden us, and fuel our desire to make change.
Molotov Cocktail
Because they are cheap and easy to make, Molotov cocktails have become one of the common weapons used by some of the more violent student protestors on the front lines. However, reports have also emerged of police disguising themselves as protestors and using Molotov cocktails to set fires in public spaces as a way to justify repression
Bricks
Protestors pry bricks out of the ground and transport them to the front lines. The piles of bricks made it difficult for riot police to advance and the missing bricks made it more difficult for cars to access important thoroughfares where the protests marched.
Police Cordon Tape
Hong Kong Polytechnic University was quickly transformed from a center point of protest and occupation into a “prison” for protestors. Police cordons were placed at every exit of the campus during the 12-day university lockdown. Authorities announced that anyone caught inside the police cordons would face a charge of rioting, and fired tear gas at those who tried to find a way out. After dark, dozens of protestors used ropes to descend from a footbridge and escape on waiting motorbikes while others fled through the sewer system.
Improvised Roadblock
When Hong Kong Polytechnic University was first occupied, protestors fashioned hand made roadblocks from plastic tubes, screws, and nails. They were placed along the nearby Cross-Harbor Tunnel, which is a major artery connecting Hong Kong Island with Kowloon.
Because of its strength and durability, bamboo is commonly used as scaffolding on construction sites in Hong Kong. Protestors use bamboo to fashion barricades.
Bucket to Carry Concrete
Brick walls were quickly built by protestors at the main gates of the campus to prevent police from entering. Buckets were used to transport wet cement to the main gates to build the walls.
Life Bread
For nearly two weeks, student protestors occupied the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. After blocking entrances to the campus, police fired tear gas and water cannons in an effort to disperse them. In one day alone, 1,458 canisters of tear gas, 1,391 rubber bullets, 325 bean bag rounds, and 256 sponge grenades were fired at the students. They responded by throwing bricks and Molotov cocktails at police.
Life bread is a brand of bread with added vitamins and nutrients widely available at affordable prices. While occupying the campus, Life Bread was one of the only forms of nourishment available to protestors inside the campus. Police tried to shame students and coax them off campus by announcing over loudspeakers that Life Bread was food for the poor and that he would enjoy a hot pot for supper.
Energy Jelly Drink
Student protestors occupying Hong Kong Polytechnic University were left with limited sustenance. During the occupation of the campus, police forbade people from entering the campus, making it impossible for students to receive food or drink. Food at the campus canteen quickly began to rot. Vending machines were looted. Hygiene at the campus canteen deteriorated. The last remaining people on campus desperately hunted for food and cleaning products. Energy Jelly Drinks that were available became a valuable source of nutrition.
Zip Ties
Zip ties are used to attach metal railings, road barricades and signs together and construct roadblock. They can be seen everywhere during the protest.
We all want to contribute to the things we truly care about. We have been doing all we can to protect our rights. Parents volunteer to drive young protestors back home after protests. They prepare wet towels to wipe off the tear gas police fire at us.
Medicine Packets
Made by the 國難忠醫 (National Disaster Loyal Doctor) group, these herbal powders soothe some common maladies among protestors. Chinese medical students have volunteered to provide medical treatment and medicine for free in order to resist the “white terror” caused by the Hong Kong Police. Injured demonstrators often decline to be taken to hospitals for fear of being arrested by the Hong Kong Police.
“TG Resolve” helps soothe the effects of tear gas. “Diu Nei Lo Mo Son” is the Cantonese pronunciation of “調理濃霧散” (scattering fog) and is used to handle the side effects of the smoke and soothe diarrhea. “Diu Nei Lo Mo Son” is also a foul slogan frequently used in the protests. “肺清” (lung clean) could also be pronounced as “廢⻘” (useless youngster). 肺清 救港 literally means “Useless youngsters save HK.”
National Disaster Hardware Shop
Business Card
National Disaster Hardware Shop was founded to supply “offensive weapons” including tear gas masks and protective goggles at a lower price for the young frontline protesters. The pop-up shop has been closed down by the police several times yet continues to open its storefront to support the protest. The back of the name card reads: “There are no heroes from the sky, only mortals who come forward.” The shop became the subject of controversy, accused of selling goods for profit and denying student discounts although it was advertised.
American Flags
In conjunction with the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., thousands of protestors expressed their gratitude to the American congressional members who support them by making and carrying American flags.
Citizens are inventing new methods of publishing unifying messages. New ways to help each other get where we need to go. A new type of currency. Everyone is finding their own way to participate. And each way is different.
Receipts Containing Political Messages
People find many ways to disseminate political messages. But when people feel their freedom is under threat, more creative and subversive means of dissemination become necessary. Under the Yuan Dynasty, during the planning of a rebellion, top secret messages were stuffed inside baked goods known as moon cakes, which would then be hand-delivered to rebels. Now, slogans such as “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Time” are printed on receipts, which are then distributed to customers at restaurants that sympathize with the protests. Some restaurants also take on additional efforts to support the protests, including offering free meals to student protestors who have been financially cut off by parents with opposing political views.
Single-Use Metro Cards
The ability to easily move throughout the city was a crucial part of organizing Hong Kong’s mass protests and avoiding arrest. Single-use metro cards (rather than multi-use cards) have become a popular method to prevent police from tracking protestors. Transaction records from multi-use metro cards can be used as evidence confirming an individual’s attendance at protests. Piles of metro cards with fares on them are placed on ticket machines by citizens as a form of sponsoring protestors’ ability to move about the city. However, after the first month of protests, the government-owned metro system began shutting down stations and train lines, making it difficult for people to get to protests or escape police.
Staff ID Card Mask
On 24 July 2019, more than 230 civil servants from more than 40 Hong Kong government bureaus and departments issued an open letter to the government, threatening industrial action if the administration continued to ignore the public's demands. As proof of their identities, they photographed their staff identification badges but covered their names and pictures with memo papers containing slogans, fearing retaliation. The mask enables people to decide the degree of exposure of their own identity. It is a statement of their conscience and independence despite their employer. It is a shelter that prevents these people from “being disappeared” by the Hong Kong government while expressing their political points of view.
Post-It Notes
Broadcasting political messages is an important method to create a unifying position among protestors. As a non-destructive act thoughtfully implemented by citizens, Post-it notes represent freedom of speech and public messaging. Post-it notes are commonly used by protestors to create messaging walls, known as “Lennon Walls.” People write political messages on the Post-it notes and cover large public surfaces, transforming large public surfaces into forms of expression of the sentiment of the protestors. Post-it notes are used because they enable messages to be advertised without damaging or vandalizing walls. Storefronts, pedestrian bridges, and underpasses became covered in sticky but impermanent messaging.
Yellow Slogan Stamps
A group of students started producing self-inking stamps with political messages such as “Five demands - not one less,” “No rioters,” “Only tyranny,” and “Liberate HK.” The yellow stamps were produced and distributed to students to help disseminate key slogans.
At our core, humans are loving, courageous, and imaginative. We dare to desire truth and fundamental rights no matter the cost. And that’s what makes us human.
This exhibition was organized in collaboration with Stary Ng
Email us with any questions or comments about this exhibition.
This exhibition and many more are in the Mmuseumm 2020 Jumbo Catalog available for purchase at store.mmuseumm.com
Mmuseumm is a non-profit project dedicated to helping people see the world we are living in through physical evidence. Support Mmuseumm by making a tax-deductible donation at Fractured Atlas 501(c)(3)