Be Water: Hong Kong vs China Melbourne Seminar

Speakers: Denise Ho, Badiucao
Guest Speaker: Clive Hamilton, professor at Charles Sturt University
Moderator: Louisa Lim, senior lecturer at University of Melbourne
Language: English

A seminar with panel discussion on the current crisis in Hong Kong and the future of the city. Featuring Denise Ho Wan-sze (Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and Canto-pop singer) , Badiucao, a Chinese-Australian political cartoonist and activist, and other distinguished guests.

Denise Ho

Denise Ho (better known to fans as HOCC) is a controversial figure in Hong Kong. She started her singer/actress career as an apprentice to the Cantopop legend Anita Mui, and transitioned to be a strong pro-democracy activist and advocate of the LGBT community.

While most local pop stars remained silent to the protests for the fear of angering Beijing and losing their access to the mainland China market during the Yellow Umbrella Movement in 2014, Ho is one of only few celebrities who threw her stardom behind to publicly voice her support to the protesters. She then transformed herself into a respected pro-democracy campaigner whose outspokenness has earned her the adoration of fans. However, showing her steely backbone for social justice comes with a big price. Since the movement, she has been labelled ‘Hong Kong poison’ by Beijing and has been banned from performing in the mainland, and further influence of Beijing has resulted in a French cosmetics brand cancelling a promotional concert featuring the singer.

But Ho is determined to fight on. In 2016 she was chosen as one of BBC's 100 Women.

Fast forward to June 2019, where the world has watched millions of passionate Hong Kongers take to the streets to call upon the government for the withdrawal of the proposed Extradition Bill to China, Denise Ho was once again among only a handful of celebrities who stood up to fight for fairness and justice in Hong Kong.

Invited by NGOs UN Watch and the Human Rights Foundation, Ho spoke and called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to remove China from the body and convene an urgent session to protect Hong Kongers at the council meeting on 8 July 2019.

Badiucao

Badiucao is one of the most popular and prolific political artists from China. Through his initially anonymous artwork, the artist addresses a variety of social and political issues earning him the nickname “China's Banksy”. He uses his art to challenge the censorship and Chinese government dictatorship through his Twitter account @badiucao. His work was used by Amnesty International, Freedom House, BBC, CNN and China Digital Times and exhibited in Australia, America and Italy.

His art is a record of his personal perspective on social issues to confront the official record. He believes art and the internet have the power to deconstruct the arrogance and authority of dictatorship as building blocks of individual awakening and independence.

Last year his first international Solo Exhibition in Hong Kong was cancelled in response to threats levelled against his family by police in mainland China. Subsequently, Badiucao activities were silenced for 7 months. On the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre in 2019, Badiucao released the documentary, China's Artful Dissident, in which he revealed his identity and told the world the circumstances that cancelled his exhibition in Hong Kong.

Professor Clive Hamilton

Clive Charles Hamilton AM FRSA is an Australian public intellectual and Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics and the Vice-Chancellor's Chair in Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University.

Clive controversial new book, Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia, almost went unpublished after three publishers pulled out citing fears of reprisals from Beijing. His warning that the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in a systematic campaign to exert political influence in Australia seemed vindicated before the book appeared. Published in February, Silent Invasion quickly became a best-seller and is being read in countries around the world that face a similar threat from a rising China under an increasingly authoritarian state.

Clive explains the CCP’s influence and interference operations in Australia, the structure of its overseas influence network, and the techniques it uses. Australia’s elites are the target of sophisticated influence operations, and parts of the large Chinese-Australian diaspora have been mobilised to buy access to politicians, limit academic freedom, intimidate critics, collect information for Chinese intelligence agencies, and protest in the streets against Australian government policy.

Use of Remaining Funds

After covering the expenses of the event, the remaining funds will be donated to the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund (https://www.facebook.com/612Fund/ ), a fund in Hong Kong set up to assist those who have been arrested or injured during the protests with their medical and legal fees. We will maintain open communication with all our supporters during and after the crowd-funding process, to be fully transparent with our spending.

Be Water: Hong Kong vs China 墨爾本研討會

主講: 何韻詩, 巴丟草
嘉賓講者: Clive Hamilton 澳洲查爾斯史都華大學哲學教授
主持: Louisa Lim 墨爾本大學高級講師
語言: 英語

由何韻詩小姐 (Denise Ho，香港粵語流行曲歌手及民權社運家) 聯同中澳政治漫畫家巴丟草先生 (Badiucao) 及其他榮譽嘉賓一同探討當前香港面對的危機與未來。

何韻詩

何韻詩 (粉絲們口中的HOCC）- 一位在香港備受爭議的公眾人物。她是粵語流行曲傳奇女歌手梅艷芳的徒弟，跟隨著一代天后的腳步，HOCC開展了作為歌手及演員的生涯；其後HOCC蛻變成為一位致力推動民權民主及同志文化的社會先鋒。

2014年雨傘運動期間，HOCC是極少數公開支持抗爭者及佔中運動的藝人之一，有別於其餘大多數因著懼怕得罪北京，損失進入中國市場而選擇沉默的香港藝人及明星。憑著其敢言個性，HOCC贏得了粉絲們的熱愛，成為備受尊敬的民權民主社運家。然而，為了追求社會公義那鐵一般的決心，HOCC 付出了沉重的代價。北京政府自雨傘運動以來便將她標籤為「香港毒藥」，禁止她於中國內地演出；而北京的壓力更進一步影響某法國化妝品品牌，導致該品版取消與HOCC合作的演唱會。

縱然如此，HOCC並沒有退縮，繼續堅持迎戰。2016年，她獲英國廣播公司 (BBC) 選為「巾幗百名」(100 Women) 之一。

2019年6月，當全球都也親眼目暏數以百萬計香港人滿腔熱血地走上街頭，爭取政府撤回「送中」引渡條例草案，HOCC又再成為極少數敢站出來為香港的公平公義發聲之藝人。

2019年7月8日，HOCC 應國際非牟利組織聯合國觀察 (UN Watch) 及聯合國人權理事會 (Human Rights Foundation) 的邀請於會議上發言，她促請理事會將中國從國際人權理事會中除名，並召開緊急會議保護香港人。

巴丟草

巴丟草是中國最受歡迎的政治異見藝術家，他的作品挑戰各種社會及政治議題 。他亦有中國Banksy之稱，因為最初的藝術生涯，一直將身份保密。他的藝術作品利用推特傳播，挑戰中國的審查及獨裁。

他認為當沒有言論自由和民主時，歷史會不斷被篡改甚至遺忘。他的藝術展述他對社會的個人觀點，對抗官方記述。他認為藝術和互聯網有能力將獨裁的傲慢和權威解構為個人覺醒和自由獨立的基石。

去年，他在香港舉辦的首屆國際個展，因為內地家人受到中國政府威嚇，他被迫取消個展。巴丟草也因此沉默了七個月。2019年天安門大屠殺30週年，巴丟草的紀錄片《中國狡智異見》回歸公眾。在紀錄片中，他決定露出本來面孔，並告訴全世界，他在香港的展覽會發生了什麼事。

Clive Hamilton 教授

英國薩塞克斯大學發展學研究所博士，現任澳洲查爾斯史都華大學應用哲學與公共倫理中心哲學教授，也是澳洲政府的氣候變化局成員、公共政策研究智庫澳洲研究院的創辦人。他經常出現在澳洲媒體上參與公共政策辯論，是澳洲著名的公共知識分子。著作《無聲侵略》，講述中共滲透下，對澳洲本土的影響。

經費餘款

活動結束後我們將扣除一切開支，把經費餘款全數撥捐予「 612人道主義救濟基金」(https://www.facebook.com/612Fund/)。此基金由香港設立，旨在為抗爭期間被捕或受傷的人士提供醫療及法律援助。眾籌過程中，我們會秉持開誠佈公的態度公開活動的各項支出及結餘，務求與所有支持者保持良好溝通。

FAQs

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
You can register at the event with printed or emailed tickets, or tickets on Eventbrite mobile app.

Is it ok if the name on my ticket or registration doesn't match the person who attends?
Yes, it's ok as long as a valid ticket is presented at the register.

Which language will be spoken at the event?
English.