Hong Kong protesters slash personal spending in economic boycott designed to force government into meeting extradition bill demands
- Organisers of ‘Bye Buy Day’ target businesses they say are pro-Beijing in latest non-cooperation campaign
- Academic warns against plan but one participant says short-term economic damage is worth it to protect freedoms
Protesters have called on Hongkongers to cut their personal spending and boycott businesses seen as pro-Beijing in a bid to inflict temporary damage to the economy and force the Hong Kong government to bow to their demands.
A new online campaign called “Bye Buy Day HK” urged activists to spend less on Fridays and Sundays and avoid retailers and other firms which do not share their political views.
An economist at Chinese University has said positive campaigns could have negative repercussions, warning the strategy could hit a large number of people financially.
Human resources officer Candy Ng has slashed her spending on food and shopping by more than half as an alternative to taking to the streets for anti-government protests.
The organisers, who remain anonymous, have named several big chains and businesses they said were pro-China, including Japanese food chain Yoshinoya, McDonald's, Cafe de Coral, online shopping site Ztore and others.
Ng, 40, said she checked the lists put out by the campaign organisers, and avoided restaurant chains and shops owned by influential business groups.