Concerned Hong Kong citizens take out newspaper ads urging an end to anti-extradition bill protests
A group of Hong Kong citizens have taken out ads in various newspapers in the country to list their demands, calling for a clampdown on police violence and an end the ongoing protests.
The protests have turned violent in nature, with the police and protesters engaging in street battles almost every week.
Hong Kong has been rocked over the last couple of months by citizens protesting over a controversial extradition bill and expressing their unhappiness with how China is governing the island.
The bill, if enacted, would allow local authorities to detain and extradite people who are wanted in territories that Hong Kong does not have extradition agreements with, including mainland China and Taiwan.
The protests have turned violent in nature. The country's chief executive Carrie Lam suspended the extradition bill on June 15 and declared it "dead" on July 9, but did not say the bill would be fully withdrawn. Police and protesters engaging in street battles almost every week.
The protesters also managed to shut down the country’s busy airport this past week after staging sit-in protests.
The ad, which appeared on the headlines of newspapers like Chinese-language dailies Ming Pao and Sing Tao Daily, was signed off by a group of "native Hong Kong residents"
It listed five demands and urges solidarity to protect social order by expressing support for the police in dealing with the protests and requested the government to suspend the approval for all marches and rallies.
The ad also urged parents, school principals and teachers, to advise students against taking part in "illegal activities", and law enforcers to prosecute those who "fund, instigate and aid illegal activities of violence and disturbance".
In addition, the ad signatories called on the government to punish the media that spread fake news, glorify illegal activities and violence, encourage citizens to disrupt social stability, and obstruct police from upholding the law.
The protests have also seen an effect on brands and the platforms they use to buy ads, with brands being forced to choose a side like Television Broadcasts (TVB) and Yoshinoya.
The Drum previously spoke to The South China Morning Post about how it ensures brand safety for advertisers during its coverage of Hong Kong protests.