Over 150 supporters gathered on the afternoon of 8 November outside the Chinese consulate in London to call for the immediate release of former Hong Kong Alliance leaders Lee Cheuk Yan and Chow Hang Tung, both charged with “inciting subversion of state power” and whose trials have been repeatedly postponed. The demonstration was organised by Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor in collaboration with multiple groups, including British trade unions and civil groups in the UK.
Participants included Labour MP John McDonnell, Tiananmen Square activist Shao Jiang, former Alliance committee member Tsui Hon Kwong, “June 4 Stage” founder Lit Ming Wai, Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation Advisory Board Member Steve Vines, and representatives from UK unions PCS and UNISON.
Christopher Mung, Executive Director of HKLRM and former Chief Executive of the now-defunct Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, criticised the authorities for banning slogans calling for an end to one-party rule, saying the move shows that the national security law exists solely to protect the authoritarian regime. He stressed that the rally was not only in support of Lee and Chow but “also in support of ourselves”, as the political trials target anyone who has participated in June 4 commemorations. He added that Lee and Chow, who have been imprisoned for over 1,500 days, have remained steadfast, defending truth and justice without yielding to the authorities.
John McDonnell shared that he first met Lee through trade union activism and condemned the repeated trial delays as inhumane punishment designed to intimidate others from standing up for democratic and labour rights. He pledged to urge the UK government to exert pressure on Hong Kong authorities and emphasised that “trade agreements should not override human rights commitments.”
Tsui Hon Kwong highlighted that Hong Kong has many other wrongful cases, describing them as a struggle between lies and truth, and called on people to continue standing for justice. Shao Jiang pointed out that under the national security law, “even memory is criminalised.” He framed the trials of Lee and Chow as a continuation of the Tiananmen massacre, targeting not only bodies but collective memory, insisting that “commemoration is resistance.” He added that every act of remembrance or defence of truth challenges the imposed silence.
Lit Ming Wai, who has volunteered with the Alliance for years, said Hong Kong’s annual June 4 vigils have traditionally been peaceful and lawful, yet authorities now weaponise the law to silence dissent. She noted the emotional strain on Chow, forced to defend herself alone in court, emphasising that the trials target all Hongkongers, not just individuals. She called on the international community and the UK government not to ignore the situation.
Gemma Freedman, International Affairs Officer for UNISON, representing over one million members, stressed that freedom of association is a fundamental human right, not a crime. The union vowed to continue urging the UK government to raise concerns with Beijing and Hong Kong authorities, demanding the release of all political prisoners.
Hannah Webb from the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers described the repeated trial delays as punishment through process, designed to crush defendants before they can even appear in court. She compared attacks on protest and organisational rights in Hong Kong to similar measures in the UK, including increasingly harsh restrictions and penalties on protesters, asserting solidarity with Hongkongers and calling for the release of all political prisoners.
Steve Vines commented that Hong Kong’s prisons are now crowded with those “standing on the right side of history,” who will be remembered long after the quislings currently in power are forgotten. Dave Paul, representing Workers Against the CCP, condemned China as a state that prohibits trade unions, political dissent, and free expression, and imprisons those who speak out, ruling through authoritarianism rather than democracy while increasing exploitation and inequality. He concluded that such a state cannot truly claim to be socialist or communist.
The Nagkaisa Labour Coalition from the Philippines also issued a statement demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Lee Cheuk Yan. Fernando Cheung of Amnesty International’s Hong Kong branch sent a message to the gathering, stating that the Alliance case reflects the systematic criminalisation of June 4 commemoration under the national security law, and that Lee and Chow should never have been prosecuted.