3RVɢ Lɢ PROTEST
Citizens write messages of resistance on sticky notes on the ‘Lennon Walls’ of Hong Kong. By Laurel Chor
ll over Hong Kong, a colourful form of peaceful protest has been blossoming. People have been writing their thoughts, demands and encouragement on Post-it notes, and sticking them onto walls in public spaces, creating an eye-catching and instantly recognisable mosaic.
They’ve bloomed on walls of footbridges and pedestrian tunnels, and on the sides of government buildings and highway pillars. Some are torn down as quickly as they flowered, and others have lasted since early June.
These temporary installations are called Lennon Walls, taking their name from the graffiti-covered, peace-themed wall in Prague, first painted with a picture of the late musician John Lennon in 1980.
The first Hong Kong Lennon Wall appeared on the sides of the legislature in 2014, during the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement, when major streets were occupied in the heart of the city for 79 days. Five years later, they have again become a powerful symbol in the former British colony, which has been rocked by two months of increasingly violent demonstrations.
The protests were sparked by a proposed bill that would allow anyone in Hong Kong to be extradited back to mainland China. The police response has continued to stoke public anger. Officers have been criticised for excessive use of force and, more recently, of working with the triads, Hong Kong’s organised crime syndicates.
The major marches — two of which have been attended by more than 1 million people, according to organisers — attract a broad spectrum of Hong Kong citizens. But the street protests are usually attended by younger people and they often end in clashes with the police, who have regularly used tear gas and rubber bullets.
The Lennon Walls provide a safer alternative for those who may not be willing or able to attend the protests, and who choose to express their views anonymously and quietly.
A small group of anonymous volunteers has embarked on a project called “Lennon Wall Hong Kong” to document the walls on social media, mapping them and collecting images not only from Hong Kong, but around the world. Supporters of the movement abroad have sent photos showing small Lennon Walls that have sprung up in places including Paris, Helsinki, Brisbane and San Francisco.
“There is a poetry in a Lennon Wall that captures what has happened in Hong Kong and what makes Hong Kong people special,” said a project volunteer, who declined to be identified and who spoke via Instagram messaging. “There is no leader that controls a Lennon Wall. There is no fixed process. Like a garden, each one grows organically. And every single person can contribute. Everyone is helpful.”
Crystal, who declined to give her last name, is unemployed and has been spending a lot of time as a volunteer at the largest of the city’s Lennon Walls. The Tai Po edition is an impressive display of creative expression that has completely covered the sides of a pedestrian tunnel hundreds of metres long. Like at other walls, there are free supplies for the taking, including sticky notes, tape and pens.
“I want to do my part and help protect everyone’s painstaking efforts. Even if it could get cleared at any moment, that’s okay,” she said, explaining that she helps to tidy up and manage donated supplies. “I just want to come and help, and do what I can for Tai Po and Hong Kong.”
Some walls have been torn down or splashed with ink by those who disagree with the protests. During a pro-police rally, people aggressively tore down the walls on the sides of the legislature, only for them to spring up again the next day. In late July, I saw a police officer tear down a wall in Yuen Long after protests against the triad attacks turned violent.
Blue, a 21-year-old university student who withheld her last name, said she was taking photos of the large Lennon Wall in a pedestrian tunnel in Tsim Sha Tsui because the walls are “an important part of Hong Kong’s history” and she knew they “wouldn’t last forever”.
She hopes the walls will raise awareness among foreigners visiting Hong Kong, calling them a form of “soft power”.
“This is a tourist spot, and a lot of people pass through it, so whether people agree with us or not, they will want to read it,” she said. “Hopefully we can turn them to our side or make them sympathetic to us.”
Stage manager Joyce, 27, who asked not to give her last name, was walking past the Tsim Sha Tsui wall when she decided to do her part. She removed the posters covering signs intended to give directions to pedestrians, and stuck them elsewhere on the wall.
Joyce said the walls give her hope about the movement. “Sometimes I feel really tired, and I think that I am not doing enough,” she said, her voice full of emotion. “But when you walk past a wall, you realise there are actually a lot of people with you.”
There is no leader that controls a Lennon Wall. There is no fixed process. Like a garden, each one grows organically
ANONYMOUS VOLUNTEER