Dozens of Richmondites have attached colourful sticky notes to what’s dubbed a Lennon Wall (a two-metre-tall piece of cardboard) set up at the Brighouse Canada Line Station.
Messages on the wall include “Hong Kong, add oil,” “Hong Kong will never be alone,” and other words of support and encouragement for the protesters in Hong Kong.
Oscar Yeung, a Richmond resident and team member of VHKPoActs, the organization that erected the wall, said his group is calling for democracy in Hong Kong.
In particular, the members, made up of students and recent graduates, want to raise awareness about the proposed extradition law that would allow the transfer of “suspected criminals” to China.
The original Lennon Wall was created in Prague, Czechoslovakia, following the assassination of John Lennon back in 1980. However, it soon turned into a site for people to express frustration with that country’s regime.
During the 2014 democracy protests in Hong Kong, a new Lennon Wall became one of the major features of the Umbrella Movement, which also advocates for democratic reform in Hong Kong.
“I was born in Canada and raised in Hong Kong. I see both Vancouver and Hong Kong as my home,” said Yeung.
“We saw mass protests happening in Hong Kong (after the government launched the extradition law); our freedom of speech might not be as strong as before.”
Some Richmondites who wrote notes on the wall asked to not have their identity disclosed for “safety reasons.”
Yeung said he also fears for his safety, but said he is determined to stand up and be counted anyway.
“It might sound cliché, but we are doing this for justice,” he added.
VHKPoActs also hopes people who hold different opinions will join in discussion with them.
“There are a lot of mainland immigrants curious about what’s going on in Hong Kong. We want to update them regarding the latest protest movement there and let them know why we are doing this,” said Joel Wan, the founder of VHKPoActs.
“No matter what opinions they have, even if they are not supporting us — or they have opposite opinions. We hope they can come and let us know and we could have discussions.”
Hundreds of thousands of people have joined rallies throughout June in Hong Kong to demand democracy and an investigation into the use of force by police to disperse crowds at the summer-long protests.
