HSBC, Standard Chartered, Bank of East Asia speak up against violence, call for peace as Hong Kong’s protests continue
- HSBC, Standard Chartered and Bank of East Asia took out full-page and quarter-page advertisements in several of Hong Kong’s Chinese-language newspapers to call for a return to peace and public order
HSBC, Standard Chartered and Bank of East Asia have spoken up against the violence that has taken over 11 weeks of popular opposition to a controversial extradition bill, joining a chorus of Hong Kong’s biggest companies to call for calm amid the worst political crisis in the city’s history.
The three banks – two of which are among the city’s three currency issuers – took out advertisements in several Chinese-language broadsheet newspapers in Hong Kong to call for calm and a return to order.
HSBC’s full-page advertisements appeared in five newspapers while Standard Chartered took out full pages in three, including Singtao Daily. Bank of East Asia took out quarter-page statements in three newspapers, including the Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po.
What began as a peaceful march on June 9 involving an estimated 1 million people against a controversial extradition bill has deteriorated into frequent clashes between riot police and protesters over nearly three months.