The 7th anniversary of the outbreak of the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Movement saw Hongkongers in Taiwan hold a commemorative event at Liberty Square on the evening of the 12th.
According to Central News Agency, Hongkongers in Taiwan, Hong Kong Outlanders, and Taiwanese civil organizations held a "612 Action – Timeless Determination, Unwavering Resolve" commemorative event at Liberty Square on the evening of the 12th.
The organizers pointed out that this year's event theme is a homophonic twist of the phrase “routine formality, as usual,” because in past social movement discussions, “routine formality” often carried a derogatory sense, suggesting actions that were merely perfunctory and lacked substantive change. Therefore, the organizers hope to rethink the significance of overseas actions and to construct an imagined "Hong Kong" community in a free country.
The organizers put up a chronological banner commemorating Hong Kong, with the banner recording events beginning from the 2012 Hong Kong Anti-National Education Movement, going through the 2014 Umbrella Movement, and up to the 2019 Anti-Extradition Movement.
Exiled Hongkonger in Taiwan, Futang, wore a yellow raincoat with the words "Disheartened, Withdraw the Evil Law" written on it; he also erected two flags that read "Eliminate the CCP, The Only Way Out."
During the commemoration, the organizers led attendees to observe a minute of silence for Hong Kong, with people on site periodically shouting the slogan "Free Hong Kong."
Human rights worker Lee Ming-che told Central News Agency, “Memory is a very important thing.” Hong Kong was once a place with the rule of law and fundamental freedoms; only by remembering can people realize that Hong Kong today is an abnormal society.
Lee Ming-che emphasized that, for Taiwan, the reason to remember Hong Kong is that China once promised 50 years of "one country, two systems" without change, yet less than half that time has passed and China already declares this to be a historical document. “When a country does not honor what it originally said, nor respects international law and treaties, how can Taiwan trust such a country?”
Lee Ming-che also mentioned that some Taiwanese say they want to trust the goodwill of CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping, but he questioned, “How could one believe such words?” When Hong Kongers called on the Chinese government to honor its promises, what they received were the National Security Law and the legislation of Article 23. Taiwan cannot possibly trust such a regime. The meaning of remembering Hong Kong for the Taiwanese people is to understand what kind of actions a regime like the CCP is capable of.