Porn sites shut down to join fight in Hong Kong protests

Porn sites were among the businesses that urged Hong Kong protesters to take to the streets last week.

Thousands of protesters dressed in black take part in a new rally against a controversial extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 16, 2019.  Image: HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP

Two adult websites, ThisAV and AV01, left messages on their respective home pages to support protests against a bill that will allow extraditions to mainland China, Quartz reported on June 12. The bill is seen as another example of Beijing threatening Hong Kong’s democracy.

On June 9, journalist Yuen Chan noted on Twitter that ThisAV encouraged site visitors to join “life or death” rallies instead of “jerking off at home.”

https://twitter.com/xinwenxiaojie/status/1137502926337925120

The message also had expletives reserved for officials and pro-Beijing lawmakers, as per Quartz. It reminded visitors too that x-rated content remained accessible on its mobile site.

Police estimated that 240,000 people attended the protest on June 9, though organizers said there were over 1 million participants.

Porn site AV01 temporarily shut down on June 11, leaving its visitors to ponder the following message on its homepage: “Do you want to live the rest of your life looking over your shoulder? There will be no more safe place or security. The government has failed you, the system has failed you, the society has failed you, do you want to fail yourself?”

The mass protests in the days that followed compelled Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam to suspend the bill on Friday, June 15. This led to another massive protest on Saturday, which drew about 2 million people who viewed the move as a delay tactic.  Niña V. Guno /ra

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