Hongkongers in UK launch “Vote for Hong Kong 2024” Campaign to raise awareness towards Hong Kong and China
Today marks the launch of the Vote for Hong Kong 2024 campaign, a movement that seeks to harness the collective power of Hongkongers in the UK. With the upcoming General Election in 2024 on the horizon, this campaign strives to maximise the influence of Hongkongers in shaping UK politics and advocating for the rights and concerns of both our local and global communities.
Amidst the backdrop of 170,000 Hongkongers who have found refuge in the UK through the BNO visa scheme, the Vote for Hong Kong 2024 campaign sets out with a threefold purpose.
To sustain attention among UK politicians towards concerns of Hongkongers in the UK.
To articulate a broader diasporic political agenda of Hongkongers in the UK that addresses the everyday needs of Hongkongers.
To build capacity within the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK, linking together a close-knit network of civil society organisations for Hongkongers and promoting their participation in British civic society.
This campaign will encompass several policy areas relevant to the objectives above. They include, but are not limited to, Hong Kong and China, Immigration and Asylum, Education, Employment, Health, and Housing.
We will focus on constituencies with the following features: a sizable Hong Kong voter base, an active Hong Kong community, and intense competition between parties (i.e. marginal seats).
The working assumption is that the upcoming GE will happen in 2024 Q2-Q3. The upcoming work steps are as follows:
Hongkonger voter outreach: town hall meetings, voter registration, and surveying
Outreach to political parties and parliamentary candidates in target constituencies
Finalise the format and contents of our pledge in consultation with partnering organisations
Gathering support and signatures from candidates for our pledge
Summarising and reporting candidates’ responses to Hongkonger voters
MPs from the three main parties express their support for the campaign:
Stephen Kinnock (Labour), Shadow Immigration Minister, said:
“It’s really important that Hongkongers in the UK participate in our democracy, sign up for all kinds of civic activities that the campaign is promoting.
I want to reiterate that we as Labour stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Hong Kong as they campaign for democracy and liberty which has been so cruelly attacked by the regime in Beijing.
I wish you all the very best with the campaign, and I believe it’s very important that everybody in the UK stands with Hong Kong.”
Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat), Home Affairs Spokesperson, said:
“It's difficult sometimes to keep Hong Kong on the political agenda here. But don't expect other people to know what your challenges and your opportunities are, unless you go and tell them by getting involved and having your seat.”
“I think it's a great initiative for Hong Kong. Take it on and run with it, because even if you feel that you've come to a better place here as a consequence of recent times, always remember that there are others back in Hong Kong who do need your care and attention.”
“The Liberal Democrats have a long standing interest, and really the interest that I developed in Hong Kong was one that I effectively inherited from the late Lord Paddy Ashdown, who was one of the first voices to highlight the need for the right of all passport holders to have residency here.”
Bob Seely (Con), MP for Isle of Wight, said:
“Supporting the right of BN(O) folks to come to the UK is one of the proudest things I've done.”
“Thank you for the incredible contribution that you're going to make, not only to Hong Kong, but to the UK, but frankly to British society as well.”
“It is really important for you to participate in democracy. There is no point fleeing an authoritarian dictatorship or an authoritarian state if you don't take the opportunity to have a democracy.”
The Lord Alton of Liverpool, said:
“The growth of the authoritarian regime and the nature of totalitarianism, and particularly the role of the CCP, is not something I have to tell anybody in this room anything about. You are well aware of it; you've lived it; you've experienced it - all the more reason why you should, therefore, now be active participants in our parliamentary democracy.”
“And whether you do that simply by working through campaign organisations, local government, council elections, or in our GE, whatever you do, play some part in our democracy. This is not about supporting a particular party, but about supporting parliamentary democracy, and about everyone being able to participate in the freedoms we still enjoy in this country.”
Artie Lam, Spokesperson for Vote for Hong Kong 2024, said:
“Integration of immigrants requires civic empowerment, and our formal launch today marks a major landmark for the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK, especially since the beginning of the BN(O) visa scheme. As Hongkongers residing in Britain, we launched this campaign to encourage fellow Hongkongers to make full use of their democratic rights in the UK. Participating in British parliamentary democracy is one important way for Hongkongers to support the values of freedom and democracy we have long cherished.”
“V4HK cannot be a successful campaign without the support of partner organisations and our friends in Westminster who support Hongkongers. We aspire to be a bottom-up, grassroots-led, and all-partisan campaign, and hope everyone will continue to support not just our campaign, but also various initiatives started by Hongkongers in the UK.”
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For more information:
Ian Ng
Member of the Organising Committee
info@vote4hk.uk / iannghh@proton.me
Signal/Whatsapp +44 (0) 7514 638460
Artie Lam
Member of the Organising Committee
info@vote4hk.uk
Telegram: @ALam_Oxford