‘Degrading’ propaganda sparks outrage among Australian Hongkongers

There are escalating complaints and calls for a boycott over “Chinese Communist Party propaganda” on display in Australia.

Members of the Hong Kong diaspora have vowed to escalate complaints regarding “CCP propaganda” billboards to their local council and MP.

Billboard ads claiming Hong Kong has entered a “new era” of “stability, prosperity” and “opportunity” have been criticised as “blatant lies” and communist propaganda by Hongkongers living in Australia.

Billboards claiming Hong Kong has entered a "new era" of "stability. prosperity. opportunity" has been blasted as "CCP propaganda" by Hong Kong diaspora living in Melbourne and Sydney. Picture: @KyinzomDhongdue / Twitter

After the signs sparked online backlash, community representatives Australia Hong Kong Link and the Victoria HongKongers Association lodged a formal complaint with Ad Standards, where they argued the advertisements were in breach of ethical standards and only served to further marginalise the community.

“To describe Hong Kong as entering a new era of stability, prosperity, and opportunity after an estimated 300,000 HongKongers left the city since the crackdown, many of whom are now residing in Victoria, is degrading and humiliating to this section of the community,” they stated in the letter.

“To those who have recently settled in Victoria, such rhetoric on the billboard is likely to instil an impression that even in Victoria, they are not entirely out of reach of the regime and that they are not truly safe.”

However, when contacted by the ABC, a spokesperson for Ad Standards said the advertisements displayed on the billboards were “outside our jurisdiction” because it was a political ad.

There are currently 14 advertisements celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s hand over to China from the British.

China took back control of the former colony on July 1, 1997 after 156 years of British rule with the promise to maintain the island’s autonomy under the “one country, two systems” principle of government.

But in recent years the CCP has tightened its grip on the region, culminating in Beijing’s imposition of a national security law in 2020 that was condemned by western governments and sparked widespread protests.

Record numbers of expats and locals have fled Hong Kong since Beijing started its crackdown, with more than 140,000 people leaving in the first quarter of this year alone.

Hong Kong Link and the Victoria HongKongers Association also raised concerns that the advertisements were potentially funded by the “Beijing-controlled” Hong Kong government.

However the company who owns the billboards, JCDecaux, said that the ads were in compliance with outdoor advertising policies.

“I am going to the local MP and council,” Australia-Hong Kong Link vowed in a Facebook post.

“Shame on billboard company JCDecaux for taking dirty CCP money to put up propaganda glorifying police rule in Hong Kong,” human-rights activist Drew Pavlou criticised in a Twitter post.

Shame on billboard company JCDecaux for taking dirty CCP money to put up propaganda glorifying police rule in Hong Kong. There should be no room for CCP propaganda on Australian streets, please boycott this company forever. pic.twitter.com/Vi4XVG77jb

— Drew Pavlou (@DrewPavlou) August 9, 2022

“There should be no room for CCP propaganda on Australian streets, please boycott this company forever.”

Australia-based Tibetan and anti-Chinese imperialism activist Kyinzom Dhongdue also shared solidarity with Hong Kong diaspora, calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to remove the billboard that had been placed in his home electorate of Grayndler.

“This billboard glorifying China’s “New Era” of repression in Hong Kong is in your electorate,” she said in a tweet.

The Leichhardt billboard has since been slapped with anti-CCP protest stickers calling for people to “fight for freedom”, “stand with Hong Kong” and “stop Beijing’s propaganda”.

The billboards also points to a website that features a message from Hong Kong chief executive John Lee – the former security chief who oversaw the brutal crackdown on Hong Kong’s democracy movement.

“As we witness the steadfast and successful implementation of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ ensured by the Hong Kong National Security Law and the improved electoral system, the celebrations will further showcase the brighter future of Hong Kong embracing the national development through leveraging our unique strengths under ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and the unwavering support of the Central Government,” the message from Mr Lee reads.

“The next five years will be the pivotal moments of Hong Kong’s development towards governance and prosperity. As we celebrate the joyful occasion commemorating Hong Kong’s return to the Motherland, I am fully confident of a promising future where we, under the auspices of our country, can give full play to our unique strengths under ‘One Country, Two Systems’. Let’s start a new chapter for Hong Kong together!”

Greens leader Adam Bandt has also blasted the billboards as a disturbing and “cruel reminder” of how much Hong Kong residents and diaspora have lost.

Disturbed to see a billboard in my electorate glorifying Hong Kong's supposed "new era" after the brutal crackdown on democracy activists and civil society. It is a cruel reminder of the rights and freedoms that Hong Kongers have lost in their home city and should be taken down. pic.twitter.com/7mVt54qAdc

— Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) August 9, 2022

“Disturbed to see a billboard in my electorate glorifying Hong Kong’s supposed “new era” after the brutal crackdown on democracy activists and civil society,” Greens leader Adam Bandt said in a Twitter post.

“It is a cruel reminder of the rights and freedoms that Hong Kongers have lost in their home city and should be taken down.”