This sunday, there’s gonna be a march in HONG KONG in...

This sunday, there’s gonna be a march in HONG KONG in support of the eight refugees who compassionately and selflessly helped Edward Snowden. After he delivered the classified documents to his chosen journalists, Snowden went into hiding for (I think it was) ten days, before leaving Hong Kong. Nobody knew where he went, until very recently, when these eight brave people came forward.

These days, they’re living in very difficult conditions, and it would be great if some of the attention the Snowden story is getting were able to help them improve their situation. Check out the link below for more info…

http://www.vfnow.org/ (Hmm, this site went down. Perhaps it wasn’t ready for the traffic of you guys clicking on the link. So thanks. Well. I guess I’ll just copy and paste all the info below. Which will probably displease FB’s algorithm, but hopefully if you guys LIKE and SHARE, this post will travel anyway.)

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Sunday 25 September • Protest in Hong Kong, Chater Gardens (Central) at 12 noon

• Grant Edward Snowden a presidential pardon!

• Defend refugee rights in Hong Kong!

In recent weeks Hong Kong’s small 11,000-strong refugee community has featured in international news reports, after the revelations that US whistleblower Edward Snowden was sheltered and protected by refugee families in 2013. This happened in the first critical days when Edward Snowden ‘disappeared’ in Hong Kong following the global publication of his stunning disclosures revealing the extent of the US surveillance state.

Edward Snowden is now campaigning for a presidential pardon and the right to return to the US, where he is currently accused of espionage and faces up to 30 years in jail. On Sunday, Hong Kong refugees and supporters will gather in Chater Garden and march to the US Embassy in support of the growing international calls for a pardon – motivated by the firm belief that ordinary people around the world have benefited from Snowden’s disclosures which have increased public awareness of the surveillance activities of the US and other states. Our protest will also show appreciation for Snowden’s expressions of solidarity with the plight of refugees in Hong Kong, which has one of the lowest ratios of asylum approvals in the world – less than 0.5% of cases.

“Three years ago, these brave families protected me in Hong Kong’s underground,” Edward Snowden recently told his 2.3 million Twitter followers. “They are still waiting for asylum.”

Refugees and social activists in Hong Kong have been campaigning throughout 2016 to expose a racist smear campaign orchestrated by pro-government parties and media groups. The use of the term “fake refugees” in media reports has increased more than tenfold this year, and sections of the political establishment have called for a detention camp on the ‘Australian-model’ to be built outside Hong Kong’s borders to incarcerate refugees. A recent poll showed than only one in four Hong Kongers support the camp proposal, marking a defeat for the establishment and media campaign.

Therefore the recent revelations of civil heroism and solidarity shown by discriminated and impoverished Hong Kong refugee families has also provided a powerful antidote to the Hong Kong government’s anti-refugee media campaign. Unlike major overseas media, Hong Kong-based media – with a few notable exceptions – have barely reported the news about Snowden’s time with the Hong Kong refugees. This is another reason for our protest on Sunday 25 September.

• Grant Edward Snowden a presidential pardon!

• Defend refugee rights in Hong Kong!

Arranged by Socialist Action and League of Social Democrats.

Contact: Sally Tang +852 9418 9988