Half the campaigners against anti-harassment policy at Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club revealed to be women
- Critic of new rules at premier press club says terms lack transparency, comparing issue to Beijing’s ‘red line’ on independence talk
- But ex-FCC head argues protesters are ‘splitting hairs’ over a tame matter, and free speech does not mean being able to insult others
A campaign against an anti-harassment policy at Hong Kong’s premier press club was thought to be a backlash led entirely by white male expatriates, but the Post has learned the group is half female.
Promotional materials – including a website and beer mats – for the Save the FCC campaign against the directive issued by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club last November were also designed by women, it has been revealed.
While the campaign supports civilised behaviour, two participants, interviewed by the Post, said the broad nature of the policy had made it prone to a breach of freedom of speech.
“The devil is in the detail,” said Shirley Lau, one of the six organisers of the campaign and a freelance journalist.
“There are times when things are not so black and white. In this increasingly polarised and politically correct world, something deemed innocuous or just a lighthearted joke by one person can easily be deemed offensive by another.”