RESIST: Hong Kongers are mailing memes and support to jailed pro-democracy protesters.

More than 10,000 people have been arrested and at least 2,900 charged for their roles in the 2019 Hong Kong protests, which first erupted in June over a government extradition bill and later morphed into a broader movement fighting for democratic freedoms. In 2020, the Chinese government quashed the movement by imposing a national security law that gave authorities expansive new powers to crack down on political opposition. In 2021 alone, 985 people were put into custody for charges related to the protests, including unlawful assembly, rioting, and endangering national security. By the end of 2022, 522 of them remained behind bars.

While public expressions of dissent have dwindled in Hong Kong, some residents continue to support the city’s jailed protestors through small-scale online initiatives. Because inmates are prevented from using the internet, supporters like Ruby update them on news of the outside world through mailed printouts of news clips, memes, and YouTube video transcripts. They send essential items such as toothbrushes and underwear using online businesses, and share handwritten letters from the prisoners on social media to help relay their conditions to the public.

More than a little reminiscent of resistance to Soviet rule.