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#Professionalism #Solidarity
5 Heads of i-Cable News and Entire China News Team Resign En Masse Against Laying Off of Journalists

On Dec 1, 2020, i-Cable News laid off 40 employees with immediate effect, angering staff at the TV news station.

According to the source, the head of i-Cable China News Szeto Yuen was the first to protest by resigning, followed by the rest of the journalists on the team. In total, one journalist was fired, and the other ten on the team, including Szeto, quit in protest. Some members from other teams also resigned to protest against the company's decision.

A senior journalist told Stand News that they felt it was better to take action together and alert the public that i-Cable News had deteriorated, instead being slowly and quietly weakened. He added that it was not worth staying anymore, since the management has intervened in the reporting again and again.

After recent salary cuts, a few junior journalists were only earning around 13,000 HKD a month. Operations at i-Cable News has nearly ground to a halt on Dec 1, 2020.

An upper-mid-level manager said that the top management had not consulted any department heads about this round of firing. The video editors and graphic designers who were fired were widely praised for their abilities by their colleagues. Many of the fired staff played important roles in middle and senior management.

i-Cable China News had investigated corrupt practices in China many times, and followed up the situation of activists; the team was long regarded to be in high reputation.

They were among the few public broadcasters in Hong Kong with a dedicated team for China news; its 11 members, including the team leader, are responsible for the daily China news reporting and the night-time “China Report”. They also have journalists regularly stationed in Beijing and Guangzhou.

Their most visible reporting in recent years were the 2012 interview of pro-democracy activist Li Wangyang, who served the longest sentence among those from the 1989 Tiananmen protests.

After broadcasting the interview, Li died in Daxiang Hospital, where he was found dead and leaning against the window, with a rope wrapped around his neck, though his legs were touching the ground. The Chinese authorities initially reported that he committed suicide, but they later changed the conclusion to “accidental death”. This incident caused strong repercussions in Hong Kong, with over ten thousand Hongkongers marching in protest, believing that Li "had been suicided".

In 2017, journalist Lam Kin-Shing covered the memorial at sea for Liu Xiaobo by a group of dissenters, the event was broadcast on Facebook live. Afterwards, Liu’s friends were arrested by China police, and the driver hired by i-Cable China News was detained for three days. Lam was transferred back to Hong Kong and barred from reporting in China again; he resigned soon after.

At the early stage of the Wuhan Pneumonia outbreak last year, China News team sent journalists to Wuhan for investigation. They were among the very few Hong Kong media who sent journalists to Wuhan for on-site reporting.

Moreover, the iCable China News team's reporting had won many awards, including Human Right Press Award and awards in the School of Journalism and Communication in CUHK. Their award-winning programs included “Damage of Nuclear weapons tests”, “The land acquisitions incident of Wukan village”, “ Li Wangyang”, “Even China police are protesting”, “Decoding the future of 30 years later”, “Tiananmen massacre 30th year anniversary”, “Poison milk powder: 10 years later”.

Source: Stand News #Dec1

=====
Related News:

All Department Heads from iCable News Quit After the Company Sacks 40 Staff in News Team

https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/27039

#WuhanPneumonia #LiWangYang #ChinaNewsTeam #iCable #MassResignation #SzetoYuen #Respect #Integrity #Journalism
#HumanRights #Solidarity
French Footballer Griezmann cuts ties with
#Huawei citing fears over treatment of #Uighurs

//The France and Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann ended his affiliation with Huawei on Dec 10, 202p, saying there are “strong suspicions” that the Chinese tech giant has contributed to the repression of the mostly Muslim minority Uighurs.

Griezmann’s announcement followed media reports that Huawei has tested facial recognition software intended to help China’s surveillance of the group.

“Following strong suspicions that the Huawei company has contributed to the development of a ‘Uighur alert’ thanks to facial recognition software, I am announcing the immediate termination of my partnership with the company,” Griezmann said in an Instagram post.

“I take this opportunity to invite Huawei to not just deny these accusations, but to take concrete actions as quickly as possible to condemn this mass repression, and to use its influence to contribute to the respect of human and women’s rights in society.”//

Image: BBC
Source: The Guardian
#Dec10

www.theguardian.com/football/2020/dec/10/griezmann-cuts-ties-with-huawei-citing-fears-over-treatment-of-uighurs

#AntoineGriezmann #CCP
#Solidarity #Hongkongers
Student Group Connects Citizens to Jailed Pro-democracy Hongkongers

#StudentPoliticism is holding a Christmas Eve Street Booth on Dec 23, 2020, on the Mongkok pedestrian bridge.

Postcards are available for citizens to write to the 12 pro-democracy Hong Kong youths detained in China, as well as all jailed protesters, so that Hongkongers can stay connected during this Christmas season.

Date: 23 December 2020
Time: 1700 - 1900
Location: Pedestrian Bridge near MongKok East MTR (entrance of Moko Mall)

#HongKong #save12HKyouths #HongKongProtest #BringThemBack #Christmas2020
#Solidarity
Protesters' Painting is "the Best Advertisement", Says
#Chickeeduck's CEO

Chickeeduck has a new branch in Tin Hau slated to open soon, with a painting of a protester boldly displayed on its shutters. CEO Herbert Chow said the painting was his favorite part of the new store; since the painting faces the on-ramp to the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, "This is our best advertisement."

He wanted it to be a constant reminder to the government and the people of Hong Kong: "If they hadn't tried to ram the extradition bill through #LegCo last year, would these people have been on the streets?"

He also wanted to challenge the pro-Beijing camp's denigrating description of the pro-democracy protesters as "evil rioters". "If they withdrew the bill on June 12 [when LegCo was scheduled to vote on the extradition bill], no one would need to wear all this gear to protect themselves."

Chickeeduck had caught the attention of Hongkongers when they displayed a statue of Hong Kong's Lady Liberty in one of their branches earlier.

Originally a children's clothing store chain, the new branch will also carry products related to the anti-ELAB movement, such as T-shirts and small replicas of the Lady Liberty statue.

Chow said the store will present more merchandises with artwork from local artists.

Source: InMediaHK.net #Dec10
https://bit.ly/3r3b5ly

#HerbertChow #LadyLiberty #AntiELAB #HongKongProtests #ProtestArt #HongKongBrand #YellowEconomy
#PoliceState #Solidarity
HK Police Warns Family and Journalists of Gathering Ban Violation

20-year-old Hongkonger Chan Yi Chun, Zero had been charged with attacking police officers and aiding the escape of three protesters in a police-civilian cinflict on 15 Septermber, 2019 in North Point, Hong Kong. He is nicknamed "Brother Ngok" for wearing a pullover with the character "Ngok" written on it and many netizens have expressed respect for his bravery. In a widely circulated video, Chan was seen returning to aid three civilians and was injured by the police baton himself.

Chan was released from jail on December 31, 2020, with welcome from his parents and girlfriend. His mother held his hands tightly. After his thanks for the work of journalists, he looked relaxed and left by a car.

While the group was waiting for Chan, they were warned by police officers to practise social distancing measures. Otherwise they will be fined by violating the social gathering ban. Chan's mother told the police that she just wanted to pick up his son. Apart from the warning, PPRB officers also marked down the HKIDs of the journalists there.

Source: Stand News #Dec31

#ChanYiChun #BrotherNgok
#Solidarity #NeverForget
Hong Kong Restaurant Gives Free #Candles On the Eve of #June4 Commemoration Day

On June 3, 2021, the restaurant Villa Villa Cafe & Bar, located in North Point, Hong Kong, placed boxes of candle for customers and passersby to take.

The annual candlelight vigil in commemoration of the June 4th #TiananmenMassacre has been banned by the Hong Kong police for the second year. The organizer who had been holding the #vigil in #VictoriaPark since 1990 called on Hongkongers to commemorate the pro-democracy victims of the brutal crackdown by the CCP "in each of their own way".

In their facebook page on June 2, 2021, Villa Villa Cafe & Bar wrote that they "made a wrong order of birthday candles". The restaurant welcomed fellow citizens to take them for free. The remaining candles would be donated to a church nearby.

The person-in-charge of the restaurant Mr Tse told InMedia that "everything's in the heart".

Source: InMedia #Jun3
https://bit.ly/3ihun4K

#YellowEconomy #Conscience
#Solidarity #GlobalSupport
#US Consulate and #EU Office Join #Hongkongers to Mourn on June 4th

On the evening of June 4, 2021, candles are placed on the window side of both the American Consulate General and the European Union Office
in Hong Kong in commemoration of those deceased in the June Fourth #TiananmenMassacre.

Source: Stand News #Jun4
https://www.facebook.com/710476795704610/posts/4228075777278010/
#SupportAppleDaily #Hongkongers
#AppleDaily Staff Bow to Thank Fellow Hongkongers for their Support

Before dawn on Thursday, June 24, 2021, the staff of Apple Daily across different news beat stood solemnly at the entrance of this once most popular newspaper outlet in Hong Kong.

They held in their hand the last print run of Apple Daily and took group photos together.

Then, they bowed to thank HongKongers who came to show their support in the rain.

Photo: Oiyan Chan
Source: Stand News #Jun24
https://bit.ly/3wVUjra

#BeWater #Solidarity #LastDay

===
Related news:

Hongkongers Proudly Hold Onto the City's Last Printed Copy of Apple Daily

https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/30225

Hongkongers Stay Up Overnight to Buy Apple Daily for One Last Time

https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/30233

Hongkongers in Solidarity with Apple Daily journalists: "We'll not give in"

https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/30221
#Solidarity #Hongkongers
Pro-democracy Optical shop claims no surprise to nuisance and vows no regrets to exhibiting support to #AppleDaily

ipoint Optical is an optical shop in Hong Kong, known for its voluntary service and free eyewear to detained and arrested pro-democracy protesters.

On June 20, 2021, the shop placed a front-page advertisement on Apple Daily, following the police's raid, arrests and the freezing of assets.

Soon after that, the shop has been spitefully harassed, receiving nearly a hundred anonymous phone calls in one morning.

Without much alternative, the shop must stop answering all phone calls which impacted badly on their business operation. The shop called for their customers to contact them via other means.

Owner of the optical shop, Michael expressed that someone put up pro-government posters outside their shop to indicate disagreement, so he was not surprised and concerned about more nuisance.

He reiterated that he took no regrets in putting up an advertisement on Apple Daily. There were also new customers visiting them after seeing the ad, Michael said.

Source: Apple Daily, #Jun20
https://bit.ly/3gGScC3

#YellowEconomy #Optician #Ipoint
#Solidarity #HongKongProtest
Detained Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activist Receives a Marriage Proposal from Activist Boyfriend

The vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Tonyee Chow Hang-tung, who is a barrister, was refused bail and was remanded.

She was accused of "inciting others to participate in an unapproved assembly" for promoting the June 4th Tiananmen Massacre commemorative event in 2021.

Chow's partner Ye Du, a Chinese human rights activist and writer, sent his marriage proposal in a letter.

He expressed his feelings of longing. He saying the darkest time before the dawn can be more remarkable in their hearts. Hw also mentioned that this big wave of time disrupted their original imagination to the future, bringing an expected development.

The proposal letter by Ye Du was published in MingPao today.

The letter was written on July 13th, the anniversary of the death of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo. Ye Du proposed marriage by letter to Tonyee, mentioning, "You said you want to have a romantic proposal. There always has a strange way to propose. But what is compatible with you being in a small jail and me being in a large jail... What is compatible with having a mutual memory on a special date, the anniversary of the death of Liu Xiaobo? What is compatible and more remarkable to the romantic moment under this darkness before the dawn? Tung, would you marry me?"

Ye Du indicated, "For my soul singing songs as a testimony, for those friends sending you this letter as a testimony, for the prison censors of this letter as a testimony, for whoever reading this letter and caring your situation as a testimony", proposing marriage to Tonyee. "Since now, you are the wind and snow, Spring and Summer. You are the world. Only hope to hold your hands for a lifetime".

Source: Stand News #Jul25
https://bit.ly/3zMwOlz

#TonyeeChow #ChowHangTung #YeDu #MarriageProposal #LiuXiaobo #June4th