On December 6th (last Saturday), a Hong Kong community organization held a “Heart for Hong Kong” memorial event in the Bay Area to show support for the victims of the Hopewell Centre fire in Tai Po and urged people to donate to reliable charity organizations in Hong Kong. The event attracted nearly a hundred Hong Kong people on-site, and an estimated one hundred thousand people watched online.
The event was co-sponsored by the Bay Area Hong Kong Community Center, the American Hong Kong Association, and the Northern California Hong Kong Association. The organizers invited a band of Hong Kong musicians to perform and live-streamed with various network opinion leaders (KOL) from Canada, the UK, Taiwan, and the US. Hong Kong residents brought flowers to pay their respects, and many expressed gratitude to the organizers.
Henry Leung, Co-Executive Director of the Bay Area Hong Kong Community Center, mentioned that the commemorative event was organized urgently within a week after the disaster occurred. Seven buildings turned into a sea of flames overnight, causing numerous casualties and missing persons, which is unimaginable and has left Hong Kong people worldwide filled with anger and unease. However, he emphasized that the core purpose of the event was not to blame but to accompany and support the residents and families who are still suffering.
Miss Shi from the American Hong Kong Association pointed out that residents had warned over a year ago about the fire hazard risks in the tenements, but the Hong Kong government did not take action. Even after the incident, they insisted that the materials were safe, ignoring the precursors of small fires. She criticized that the large fire involving the issue of “encircling the tenements” had been overlooked for many years, ultimately leading to the destruction of over a thousand households. She expressed concern that even Hong Kong residents raising demands for institutional reform now face national security arrests, and the mailbox accounts of the American Hong Kong Association were allegedly subjected to a “national-level cyber attack,” with multiple linked member accounts having passwords stolen.
NASA, a Hong Kong resident who has lived in the US for 30 years and works in visual arts and design, stated that despite being away from home for many years and receiving information less promptly, the Tai Po fire is an extremely rare disaster for Hong Kong, and being overseas does not allow for indifference. She believed that attending the memorial was a responsibility and a connection of emotions.
Pastor Li from the Bay Area led a moment of silence and a prayer ceremony at the event, and sang “The Lord is Over the Red Sea I Am Facing” as a dedication. He expressed hope that through music and prayers, the affected residents would know that even though miles apart, the hearts of overseas Hong Kongers are still closely connected to them. He emphasized that Hong Kong immigrants around the world are concerned about this disaster and willing to provide continued support to the victims emotionally, spiritually, and even economically.
In addition to the on-site gathering, the event was also live-streamed on six YouTube channels, including CanMen, Ziyun Channel, Next Station, Jieli Earth, CC News Political Commentary, and Simon Lee’s World from the US.
Many overseas KOL participating in the live stream expressed that they often feel powerless being far from Hong Kong, but they should utilize their space for speech overseas to continue speaking out, demanding the truth, and supporting the victims. They stressed that although global Hong Kong people are scattered around the world, they can still connect with each other through networks and continue to voice the concerns of Hong Kong.
Mr. Leung, a Hong Kong building owner, also conveyed the sentiments of Hong Kong people through written words; well-known overseas Hong Kong people such as Hui Wing-ting, Chiu Chi-kin, Cheng King-ki, Ling Lee Ling Sam, and Matthew, co-founders of HKCC, and HKCC representatives across the US, also spoke through videos or expressed support through song and music. The two-hour memorial event concluded with the song “Boundless Oceans Vast Skies.”