Thread by @bleakhousebooks

A thread 🧵 about Hong Kong in 15 tweets. In Nov ‘19, during the height of protests in HK, I mailed a copy of Animal Farm to Claudia Mo, then a member at HK’s top lawmaking body, LegCo. It was an anonymous gift. From ‘a Hongkonger’ was how I inscribed the book. 1/15

Back then Claudia Mo was one of the most outspoken public figures in HK who routinely criticised the government for its incompetence and mendacity. She was admired and loved by many, including yours truly. 2/15

Hongkongers affectionately referred to Claudia as ‘毛 ee’ which is a Cantonese play on words that translates as Auntie Mo. The book I sent her was one of many anonymous gifts she used to get from folks wishing to thank her for her service and bravery. 3/15

A few days after I sent 毛 ee the book she posted about it. She included a photo of the book and the envelope with the message: ‘the dark side of human nature has already been written of by our predecessors’. 4/15

Then in Aug ‘20, 毛 ee posted about the book again after she came across it cleaning her desk. She wrote in that post: ‘after all these days, seeing this book still makes me emotional’. 5/15

I followed with a post of my own. It was the first time I revealed to 毛 ee I was the one who sent her the book. The memory of seeing 毛 ee breakdown in tears at a past LegCo meeting was still fresh in my mind when I wrote that post. 6/15

This is a video clip of that sad, unforgettable moment courtesy of @JessiePang0125 7/15

In Jan ‘21 毛 ee was 1 of 55 lawmakers and activists arrested under the National Security Law because she took part in a primary election that had not been officially sanctioned by the HK government. 8/15 nytimes.com/2021/01/05/wor…

She was later granted bail and released although the episode clearly shook her. 9/15

In Feb ‘21 Claudia Mo was formally charged & arrested again. In an unprecedented decision the ct. denied her bail this time, relying on, among other things, private messages 毛 ee sent to foreign journalists that the police extracted from her phone 10/15 hongkongfp.com/2021/05/28/soc…

Among the loved ones that 毛 ee has had to leave behind after her arrest is Marble, her trusty and beautiful dog. 11/15

On 23 June ‘21, this ad appeared in Apple Daily in which Marble the dog has a few words of encouragement for her dear mum. 12/15

The next day, June 24th, Apple Daily printed its last ever edition and shut its newsrooms for good. Its headquarters had been raided by the police twice in the past year and several of its top editors/staff were already in police custody. 13/15 cnn.it/3Gfqt5M

Claudia Mo remains behind bars to this day, her trial date adjourned until Mar 2022. But she is reportedly keeping her spirits up. ‘Annoyingly cheerful’ was how 毛 ee’s family described her. 14/15 thestandard.com.hk/section-news/s…

When I still had the bookshop I often dreamt of sitting at our shop manager’s desk, busy with work, and then look up to see 毛 ee and Marble walk through the door. I haven’t given up on that dream and know it will come true one of these days. 毛 ee, 加油. 香港人, 加油. 15/15 END.