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#ReportersWithoutBorders protests #AppleDaily closure at Chinese embassies in Paris and Berlin

The press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (#RSF) marched through the streets of Paris and Berlin on June 25, 2021.

They protested the closure of the Hong Kong's pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, after Hong Kong's Beijing-backed authorities froze the paper's assets and arrested several executives.

The NGO said on their website that they held "funeral-style processions" to denounce the "killing" of Apple Daily by the Hong Kong government, and to "raise alarm of the threats" posed by the Beijing regime to press freedom globally.

In Paris, RSF placed a coffin and funeral flowers for the Hong Kong paper in front of the #ChineseEmbassy. At the same time, they buried copies of the newspaper in front of the embassy in Berlin.

RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said, "today's funeral is for Apple Daily, but tomorrow's may be for press freedom in China. It's time for the international community to act in line with their own values and obligations and defend what's left of the ,free press in Hong Kong before China's model of information control claims another victim."

Text: Deutsche Welle #Jun25

Photos: Reporters Without Borders
https://twitter.com/rsf_inter/status/1408397332190744579?s=21

#Paris #Berlin #Protests #NGO #Funeral

#NeverForget
"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News

Days ahead of the 2-year anniversary of the 7.21 Yuen Long Attack, Stand News published a video report investigating the allegations from the pro-Beijing camp that the conflict was initiated by pro-democracy protesters.

English captions have been added by Real Hong Kong News. Watch the video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gch5ikVyI80

The report found that pro-Beijing groups and Hong Kong police, and the #IPCC all cited a poster calling for a protest in Yuen Long on 7.21, during the height of the 2019 anti-ELAB protests.

Notably, the IPCC's special investigation report was quoted in the court case of 7 pro-Beijing men charged for rioting on 7.21, the only alleged white-shirt attackers who have been charged to date.

However, HKU research found that the poster had first gone viral on Chinese social media platform #Weibo and other pro-Beijing groups, instead of the #LIHKG forum frequented by pro-democracy protesters.

When the poster later reached LIHKG, it was mostly met with skepticism; eventually being treated by commentators as fake information.

Pro-Beijing groups, however, had used the poster to stir up fears of "rioters" coming to Yuen Long, even calling on people to bring canes and water pipes to repel the presumed "invaders".

During the evening of 7.21 when the incensed mobs struck indiscriminately at civilians, multiple pro-Beijing figures were seen on the streets with the white-shirts. Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho was also filmed encouraging and shaking hands with white-shirts.

Patrolling police officers were seen walking away from the sites where civilians were attacked.

Footage also showed Pak Heung Division Commander Li Hon-man mingling and thanking white-shirts who scuffled with pro-democracy citizens during the week leading up to the attack.

These, as well as other reports from that evening, contributed to public discontent and suspicion that the police force is colluding with the Triads.

Since then, Pro-Beijing groups have distanced themselves with the events of the night, and clung to the narrative that they were defending their homes from supposed incursion by the black shirts. When Stand News approached several leaders who had been identified in the night's footage, many declined to comment, or simply cut off the interview.

Some victims of the attack had sued the police force for reparations to cover the costs of surgery and long-term medications to treat their injuries; however, the Department of Justice called their claims "unreasonable". They had since withdrawn their case, since their lawyer - pro-democracy legislator Albert Ho - is now in jail, leaving them feeling helpless and deprived of justice.

Source: Stand News
Caption Translation: Real Hong Kong News

#YuenLong721 #StandNews #Documentation #Report