Alexandra Wong, an elderly pro-democracy protester better known as “Grandma Wong,” has returned to Hong Kong after spending over a year of detention in mainland China.
In a video shared by Citizen News on Tuesday, a teary-eyed Wong said: “I’m safe, this is Hong Kong after all. But it has changed already.”
https://twitter.com/hkcnews_com/status/1313356809210486785
The 64-year-old, who lives in the Chinese border city of Shenzhen, came back to Hong Kong last week, according to former lawmaker Eddie Chu.
The extent of her injuries and why she was scuffling with mainland officials are unclear. But Chu, who met with Wong on Friday night, said she seemed to be in good spirits and is currently undergoing her 14-day quarantine.
The veteran protester was a frequent sighting at pro-democracy demonstrations last year, often spotted waving a large Union Jack flag. In interviews with media, she spoke fondly about Hong Kong’s colonial days and echoed support for young protesters.
She was last seen at Tai Koo station on August 11 last year, where she was filmed sitting on the ground after reportedly being knocked over by riot police attempting to disperse protesters who had gathered.
Amid her notable absence at subsequent protests, netizens voiced concern about where Wong had gone. Protesters hashtagged their tweets with #WhereisGrandmaWong, and created threads on forum LIHKG, where they shared fears that she might have been locked away.
In an email to media in early January this year, Wong wrote that she was held at a detention center when she returned home in Shenzhen for the vaguely defined crime of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles” on August 14. She said she was then transferred to another detention center and later given “patriotic education,” but did not explain what that entailed.
