Last summer, Hong Kong’s protesters called for a revolution as they occupied the city’s international airport, marched in the millions and mocked Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "Game of Thrones” villain.
This year’s different. A sweeping national security law imposed by China in June and COVID-19 restrictions have rendered the pro-democracy movement’s tactics illegal, from public gatherings to certain online comments. That has left demonstrators seeking more creative methods, like supporting sympathetic businesses.
Last week’s arrest of pro-democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai was a case in point. Instead of flocking on the streets after police frogmarched him in handcuffs through the office of his flagship Apple Daily newspaper and rummaged through files, protesters bought shares of its parent company Next Digital Ltd. to fuel a 1,100 percent rally. They also bought up copies of the paper and encouraged supporters to take out ads.