We Are HKers - Chan-Jai | A participant in the movement who never stepped up to the front line - "One might even say I lack the courage to make a difference."

Chan Jai (alias), 40, just received a residency sponsorship from her spouse to stay in Montreal. She has been a freelance translator, writer, and journalist in Hong Kong, but she spent most of her time doing paperwork. A few months after she immigrated to Montreal, she has become one of the organisers of ‘Action Free Hong Kong Montreal.’

“Since I became aware of social movements, I have only been a participant, and have never stepped up to the frontline of the movement, because I am afraid of trouble and easily discouraged. One might even say I lack the courage to make a difference. My newly acquainted ‘schoolmates’ changed me. They are really helpful and truly tireless, and taught me how to be free from fear via action, letting me know that breakthroughs lie only in persistence.”

— Chan Jai

My name is Chan Jai (pseudonym), and I’m one of the conveners of ‘Action Free Hong Kong Montreal’ (Freehktmtl). I’ve been busying myself with the news of the Canadian elections recently, hoping to mobilise more immigrants from Hong Kong to come out and vote.

I even went to the rally held by Justin Trudeau and the opposing party’s leader Jagmeet Singh. I wanted to ask them personally to see which candidate really cares about Hong Kong, though to this day I am still unable to understand the political struggles and relationships between them.

I feel really helpless that I have to do such. Yet the opinions abroad are critical for Hongkongers to win this battle.

I have never been this attentive towards the Canadian political landscape. I probably wouldn’t be here if it were not for Hong Kong.

The Comfort Zone in Montreal

I arrived in Montreal for the first time in 2013, and have been travelling between the two cities after meeting my boyfriend Fei Fei. I spend half the year in Hong Kong, and half in Canada, living a rather enjoyable life.

Montreal is like a heaven for retirement. Apart from grocery shopping and cooking, I almost never have to leave my home. As I am a writer and a translator, I only need a computer to finish all my work, working during the day and resting at night. During my leisurely days I would even volunteer at the stray cat centre, or bike to the park where I do yoga with everyone. It’s a self-sufficient and laid-back lifestyle.

I can say that, till June this year, I know less than five Hongkongers here. What’s the population of Hongkongers in Montreal? A few thousand? No idea, in any case, the footprints of Hongkongers are rarely seen.

I believe that what has happened in Hong Kong since June 2019 not only impacted the Hongkongers in HK, but also brought huge changes to the ones in Montreal like me.

A three-person protest

This year, Fei Fei applied for my residence so I can come live with him in Montreal. I only returned (to Hong Kong) in April, realising that the objections against the extradition bill amendment is heating up. As June rolled in, I decided to do something to express my objections as well. I downloaded a few slogans off the internet the night before 9 Jun, and was prepared to bring them to protest at the Chinese Consulate the next day.

The idea of protesting by myself felt odd, apart, and rather useless. Since I didn’t have any friends from Hong Kong whom I knew too well, so I grew a thick skin and approached the only group I could contact at the time, a group of Montreal mothers, to invite someone to my protest. To my surprise, two of them agreed to join that night.

Though only three took part in the protest on 9 Jun, at least I knew that there are people in Montreal who are concerned with the situation in Hong Kong. I really thought I was alone before this day.

A hundred coming out

Afterwards, I got in touch with an active social movement organiser through these mothers. He wanted to set up a Lennon Wall and hold an assembly, but couldn’t find the volunteers to do it. So I assisted him in communicative work.

My first task was to contact the local police. I will never forget this experience in my lifetime.

I rang the police department to apply for holding an assembly in Mount Royal Park on 3 Aug. After explaining the situation to the police officer, he simply responded, “okay, bye bye” and hung up. I was left in doubt. Okay? Does that mean my application is successful? Do I need to show any documents as proof? I had always thought that hosting an assembly required an application, but it turned out that there’s no such practice in Canada. This is because everyone enjoys freedoms and rights! The assemblies held by Hongkongers throughout the years all require a ‘Letter of No Objection’ from the police. It made me realise that our servility has long been cultivated by a tyrannical regime over the years.

Montreal is very different from Vancouver or Toronto, in that the latter are supported by mature township organisations, and hence it is relatively easy to mobilise Hong Kong immigrants to participate in large-scale assemblies. This time we could only rely on word of mouth between friends and Facebook, yet we still managed to rally 100 people to this assembly within the span of a few short days!

“I would compare the Hongkongers in the Montreal assembly to an LGBT community yet to come out. We didn’t know each other before, and all came out in an instant!”

After this event, a few Hongkongers and I carried out the organisational work of ‘Action Free Hong Kong Montreal’. Everyone worked together to write news articles and letters to embassies, organise assemblies, and manage our Facebook page, etc. I also discussed with dozens of representatives supporting Hong Kong’s movement from nine other Canadian cities on Telegram about how we could connect Canada and Hong Kong, and how we could spread such movement in Canada.

“Over 200 Hongkongers and friends of other ethnicity participated in our march on 29 Sep, titled “Stepping on human rights for seventy years”

“After the rally on 29 Sep.”

Over the past few months, I’ve come in touch with more Hongkongers in Montreal because of my organisational work. After chatting with them, I realised that everyone is hoping to find their own role to play in the movement. For example, some mail helmets back to Hong Kong, and some transfer money to family and friends in Hong Kong to buy meal coupons. Yet such support is too distant, and we all feel that it needs to be more direct and efficient, and hence we later sought the attention of the Canadian government and candidates. We implore them to speak up for Hong Kong and let people around the world understand what is happening in Hong Kong. Only so is our support truly effective.

The persistence of two million people

Since I became aware of social movements, I have only been a participant, and have never stepped up to the frontline of the movement, because I am afraid of trouble and easily discouraged. One might even say I lack the courage to make a difference.

One time after an assembly, a participant was harassed by phone calls from someone with a Mandarin accent. My boyfriend Fei Fei scolded me after knowing this, “are you not worried that you can’t go back to Hong Kong?!” At that moment, I was really afraid. My fear wasn’t that I might be doxxed, but that I could no longer see my family and friends in Hong Kong. This was enough for me to stop using my mobile phone for a few days in a stretch, calling others only using phone booths instead. It took quite a while for me to let this go.

My newly acquainted ‘schoolmates’ changed me. They are really helpful and truly tireless, and taught me how to be free from fear via action, letting me know that breakthroughs lie only in persistence.

These days have made me reminisce about my years in secondary school, organising the class council together, going on trips, barbecuing and singing under the moon during Mid-Autumn … etc. Our intention was innocent and passionate. Those were truly the best times.

I think to myself, “I’ve never thought I could bring any achievements to this movement, but I only hope that I am one of the two million Hongkongers who marched on 16 Jun.”

I often feel that we’re going to lose, even today. But even if we do, we must at least lose with style. Hopefully Hongkongers’ resistance movement will leave a positive remark in history.

I’m Chan Jai, I am a HKer.

Action Free Hong Kong Montreal : https://www.facebook.com/pg/freehkmtl/about/

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Journalist: Walned

Photos: Chan Jai

Chan Jai | A participant in the movement who never stepped up to the front line - "One might even say I lack the courage to make a difference."

The Comfort Zone in Montreal

A three-person protest

A hundred coming out

The persistence of two million people