Prefatory note from Leo’s colleague and comrade at Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions
Our friend Leo is now in jail because of political repression. He seems to have expected this, and even thinks he is luckier than other comrades, who were arrested before him and given longer sentences. To friends who don’t know what happened before, here is the background:
As you know, last year there were many protests against the extradition law. Protesters usually wore masks to protect themselves from police arrests. In response, the government wanted to pass an emergency law to ban mask-wearing. At that time, people were concerned that the law would ban more than just masks, and would undermine the safety of protesters and the right to protest.
So, in October, people held a rally to protest against the emergency law. During that protest, Leo was arrested and the police found a telescopic stick in his bag. Leo was bailed out at that time. Last Tuesday (September 1), he went to court and the judge found him guilty of “possession of an offensive weapon” and sentenced him to jail for 4 months.
Let’s see what he thinks:
現在的牢獄，是用來困好人的。香港如是，加泰如是，現在白羅斯如是，泰國如是。
抗爭有時，入冊有時。一旦認識到自己與政權之間的關係，一旦覺得要「回應」，人就不得不反抗。
比起好多同輩友儕，我在2020年入獄，可以說是「遲」了。比起好多運動中相識的年輕手足，總算是與他們同行。
我比好多人幸運。比我年輕的手足，一個個先被還押，等待一個更長的刑期；無名的抗爭者，流亡海外，未有歸期。在戰場上逝去的手足，催促我們繼續前行。所謂的沒有退路，並不是口號。
這是煲底之約的必經之路，我們或許正為當下要做什麼事而躊躇，但對於這些「必經」，我們不必憂惱。
在街頭，我們與手足相遇；在世界，我們正置於各地的反抗浪潮。我們絕不孤單。
Now, prisons are used to imprison the good; as it is in Hong Kong, so it is in Catalonia; the same goes for Belarus, and for Thailand.
There are times when we rise against the state, and there are times when it retaliates with incarceration. Once a person comprehends their relationship with the state, once they feel the urge to respond, they have no choice but to resist.
Compared to many activists of my generation, my imprisonment in 2020 is arguably “belated.” As for the younger activists with whom I have had the fortune to meet during the movement, perhaps this is the day I walk with them.
I have been luckier than many. Luckier than my younger comrades, who have been remanded one by one, with longer sentences hanging over them; than the nameless protesters exiled overseas with no date of return. The sacrifices of our comrades compel us to keep moving forward. The principle of “no retreat” (沒有退路) is not just a slogan.
This is an inevitable step on our journey to realise our promise to one another: to meet under the LegCo protest zone (煲底) as liberated bodies. We may fret about what there is now to be done, but we need not agonize over the inevitable.
On the streets, we have met brothers and sisters; in the world, we are part of a sweeping wave of resistance. We are never alone.
