Hong Kong Porn Sites Shut Down To Support Protests

Protests are taking place across Hong Kong due to a controversial extradition bill that would mean suspected criminals would be sent to China to face trial. The sites shut down on Wednesday (June 12th) to promote its users to join the protests.  The proposed law would make it easier to extradite people to China. The bill would allow those accused of crimes punishable by a minimum of seven years in prison to be extradited but many worries about the law being misused. There is speculation that the law could be a way to remove China’s political opponents. 

Adult sites AV01 and This AV demonstrated their support for the protests by publishing messages on its homepage encouraging users to join the demonstrations. The sites called the protests, protests of ‘life and death’ and AV01 wrote, ‘The government has failed you; the system has failed you, the society has failed you, do you want to fail yourself?’. 

It may seem random for porn sites to join in with political protests, but the law has produced uproar to Hong Kong with many businesses closing temporarily in order for workers to join the protests. The protests, according to organizers, attracted two million people which makes it the largest in the city's history. Following the protests, leader Carrie Lam issued a public apology and promised to suspend efforts to pass the bill.

An official statement referenced how the proposed law had led to ‘confusion and conflict in society’ and attempts to reflect an understanding of peoples aims for ‘better services for the broader society’. However, many have rejected the apology and raise the fact that it did not address any of the protestors' demands such as withdrawing the extradition law, ending crackdowns on activists and taking police brutality seriously.

Joshua Wong, 22, was released from prison after being involved in the 2014 ‘Occupy Central’ demonstrations and said of the protests, ‘It’s a really good time to join the fight for freedom and democracy’. Across history members of society have been persecuted for their protests but now people have the determination to fight back. 

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