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Crowdfunded campaign takes Hong Kong’s message of fear to world – helped by 22,000 donors and anonymous group of fixers
- Leaderless ‘Freedom Hong Kong’ campaign targeted the G20 summit in Osaka on Friday and Saturday
- Largely online movement secured HK$6.7 million in funding in one day
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A crowdfunding campaign against the unpopular extradition bill drew more than 22,000 donors, mostly contributing small sums such as HK$100 (US$12.80), according to a financial summary on an online forum, and helped make Hong Kong a buzzword on social media and in international newspapers over the past week.
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The leaderless “Freedom Hong Kong” campaign aired in the past week to target the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan on Friday and Saturday, as some young protesters who worked behind the scenes felt they needed to put global pressure on the Beijing and local governments even if few concessions were won.
The largely online movement, which secured HK$6.7 million in funding in one day, took to the offline world by placing full-page or prominent advertisements in 20 mainstream newspapers in various countries, accordingly to a tally on the LIHKG forum.
The hashtag “FreedomHK” was cited 22,000 and 1,900 times on Twitter and Instagram respectively over the past week, analytics tools showed.
On Saturday, more than 100 activists and students from Hong Kong marched through Osaka’s business district, chanting “Free Hong Kong”. In New York, a similar-sized crowd took part in a silent flash mob and displayed a full-page advert that had run in a local newspaper.
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