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Let's have a ball in HK

Reading Time:2 minutes
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Adrian Wan

The park is supposed to be one of the few places in a busy city you can enjoy a little freedom.

But walk into one of Hong Kong's open spaces and you're likely to be greeted by signs warning 'No ball games' and 'Keep off the grass'. In some of our parks, painting, singing and dancing are also banned.

But recently, David Biddlecombe and his Freedom Ball campaign have been challenging these rules.

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Biddlecombe, who runs an education curriculum development company, moved to Hong Kong 13 years ago. He was soon frustrated by how little he could do in the city's parks, and by the way they were managed, regulated and designed.

So for the last two years, in a gentle show of civil disobedience, the Englishman has been placing large inflatable balls in parks and encouraging people to play with them any way they liked.

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According to Biddlecombe, many parents have embraced the idea. They used the balls - printed with the slogan 'Say no to no fun' - to keep their children amused and to express their dissatisfaction at the rules and restrictions.

Security guards stopped Biddlecombe's activities several times, and at Quarry Bay Park, staff threatened to call the police when he ignored their instructions. He knew ball games were not allowed, but his aim was to get park users and managers talking together about the restrictions.

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