There seems to be some expert trolling going on over at the German Consulate in Hong Kong after Chief Executive Carrie Lam criticized German authorities for granting asylum to two pro-independence activists.
Since 2016, the German Consulate General’s Facebook page has been teaching Hongkongers a little Deutsch by posting a “Word of the Week.” These posts are usually innocuous, but from time to time they’ve been known to poke a bit of fun at what’s happening in Hong Kong.
On Saturday, the consulate posted as its word of the week “die Würde,” or “dignity,” accompanied by the example sentence “Human dignity shall be inviolable.” The example comes from Article 1 of Germany’s constitution, which reads in full: “Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority.”
https://www.facebook.com/GermanConsulateGeneralHongKong/photos/a.503206939879429/1080079388858845/?type=3&theater
Now, the post may just have been a perfectly innocent celebration of the 70th anniversary of the law, which was marked on Thursday (happy birthday, German Basic Law!).
Or, it could have also been an ever-so-gentle rebuke to Chief Executive Lam who, one day prior, had summoned the German consul for a tongue lashing over Germany’s decision to grant asylum to Ray Wong and Alan Li, two leading members of the localist group Hong Kong Indigenous who are wanted on rioting charges for their involvement in 2016’s Mong Kok riots, often referred to as the “Fishball Revolution.”
(Fun fact: Germany’s Basic Law also enshrines the right to asylum, stating: “Persons persecuted on political grounds shall have the right of asylum.”)
The pair broke their silence last week to reveal that they were granted refugee status in Germany last year. Their case is believed to be the first instance of dissenters from semi-autonomous Hong Kong — which enjoys stronger rule of law and broader freedoms than the mainland — receiving such protection.
The news prompted many from the pro-Beijing camp to call for the German authorities to hand the pair over, and Lam publicly voiced doubts as to whether Germany’s decision was based on facts, noting that the duo faced serious charges in Hong Kong, including assaulting police.
It wasn’t just Coconuts HK who saw the deft hand of troll-ery in the consulate’s post — social media commenters also seized on the word of the week as an oblique reference to Li and Wong’s case.
“Thank you Germany for speaking out for us Hong Kong people,” one poster said. “Thank you for accepting dissidents from HK and China.”
Another called on Germany to revoke the visas of any Hong Kong officials’ family members living or studying there, and to deport them back to the SAR “to stop them betraying Germany in the future.”
Still others laid down some sick burns at the Hong Kong government’s expense.
For instance: “Dignity is like staircase in Hong Kong, the government can step on it anytime they want.” Zing!
And also: “Tell you a joke. Hong Kong Basic Law.” Ba-dum-TSH!
Of course, this isn’t the first time the “Word of the Week” has spoken volumes.
In October, the consulate posted “die Landgewinnung,” or “land reclamation,” in reference to a controversial proposal to build a 2,200-hectare artificial island off the coast of Lantau.
https://www.facebook.com/GermanConsulateGeneralHongKong/photos/a.527198957480227/946238325576286/?type=3&theater
The project was criticized for its potential environmental impacts, which the consulate oh-so-subtly noted via the inclusion of a couple of illustrated dolphins cruelly murdered by a sand dredger.
In July, the word of the week was “der Meilenstein,” or “the milestone,” just days after the the city’s highest court ruled in favor of a British lesbian couple, recognizing same-sex marriages for the purposes of granting dependant visas.
https://www.facebook.com/GermanConsulateGeneralHongKong/photos/a.527198957480227/869892023210917/?type=3&theater
In August, their word of the week was “der Geldschein,” or “banknote,” featuring a cartoon of a young boy with a calculator counting his money. The post came days after billionaire scion Lau Ming-wai was lambasted as tone-deaf for fondly recalling being given HK$100,000 in cash by his parents for his 10th birthday and wisely saving it, instead of blowing it all on toys.
https://www.facebook.com/GermanConsulateGeneralHongKong/photos/a.527198957480227/925095041023948/?type=3&theater
Let’s see now, our Deutsch is a little rusty, but, Gut gespielt, deutsches Konsulat.
Well played, German consulate. Well played.
