Bitcoiners in Hong Kong protests?

[enhu]

The protest continues. I believe it's time for Hong Kong Bitcoiners to join the crowd, and make their own banners, and chant, "Buy Bitcoin, and HODL". Hahaha.

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-09-08/hong-kong-protests-whole-system-rotten

HONG KONG —  It took Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam 13 weeks to withdraw the extradition bill that sparked the city’s summer of unrest. But her announcement failed to stop the protests for even one night.
Demonstrators have continued to rally, march, clash with police and, on Sunday, wave American flags while singing the U.S. national anthem in an appeal for help from Washington.

“Resist Beijing, liberate Hong Kong! Sanction China, now or never! Pray for U.S., pray for us!” chanted tens of thousands of protesters who marched to the U.S. Consulate on Sunday afternoon in a call for Congress to pass legislation that would strengthen U.S. support for democratization and human rights in Hong Kong.

Looks very close to BREXIT.  

They already banned BTC in the past. Don't you think Its going to raise an alarm to the government and will cause the crash again if they once again bann?

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[bitbunnny]

I'm not sure about it. Looking in the past bitcoiners showed to be more silent community and not particulary socialy or politicaly engaged. I'm not saying they shouldn't be, just they didn't show such face so far. Also, I'm not sure this would be clever idea that would have positive impact, not in current situation.

[Reatim]

I'm not sure in what way bitcoin is gonna help them succeed in the protest, there were more slogans and posters raised relating cryptocurrency during the time of protest. Finally I would respect and salute the people of Hong Kong who have been strong taking the protest for such a long term and never leaves the field at any instance to get their freedom.

No one says that they need help to win the Protest because I am certain that only few of protesters are engaged in crypto also but your right they need help.

I have friend in Hong Kong that also a bitcoin holder but he’s not part of any protest though they are affected because in any place protest are just pop up without any signal or indications(those organizers are really good at this job)

I think just by holding crypto will keep them safer because atleast their online asset will help them out Incase this issue turns larger and harder to face

[elisabetheva]

Are there Bitcoiners in Hong Kong? How is the situation over there? I believe it should be Bitcoin's time, and help protesters in collecting donations, and help move value in Bitcoin.

That might happen, but there might be a problem against the government, because it is clear that the authority that the government has can take action to block it so that fundraising can not occur.

[Saltius]

With Google translate?

I can read Chinese so I never bother using it.
But sometimes I use it to translate Japanese into English so I can learnt another point of view from Japan.
I think it is not bad.
However some of my friends using it to translate Japanese into Chinese claim it sucks

End can never justify the means.
If people don't stick to this principle, after overthrowing an asshole, they just put another group of motherfuckers in power or the freedom fighters themselves turn into bad guys.
That is the exact lesson learnt from Iran Revolution in 1979.

That's true, but maybe Bitcoin can help as a neutral-money for donations in case the government is giving the protesters a difficult time. Freezing bank accounts perhaps?

I don't think protesters in Hong Kong need a neutral-money, they just need US dollars.
Remember the scene that crowds of protesters weaving US flags?
So naive to ask the govt who persecuted Julian Assange world wide to free them.

[Saltius]

The protest continues. I believe it's time for Hong Kong Bitcoiners to join the crowd, and make their own banners, and chant, "Buy Bitcoin, and HODL". Hahaha.

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-09-08/hong-kong-protests-whole-system-rotten

HONG KONG —  It took Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam 13 weeks to withdraw the extradition bill that sparked the city’s summer of unrest. But her announcement failed to stop the protests for even one night.
Demonstrators have continued to rally, march, clash with police and, on Sunday, wave American flags while singing the U.S. national anthem in an appeal for help from Washington.

“Resist Beijing, liberate Hong Kong! Sanction China, now or never! Pray for U.S., pray for us!” chanted tens of thousands of protesters who marched to the U.S. Consulate on Sunday afternoon in a call for Congress to pass legislation that would strengthen U.S. support for democratization and human rights in Hong Kong.

Looks very close to BREXIT.  

They already banned BTC in the past. Don't you think Its going to raise an alarm to the government and will cause the crash again if they once again bann?

Bitcoin is never banned in Hong Kong.  Did you confuse it with mainland China?
If I remember correctly, bitmex and bitfinex both locate in Hong Kong.

[Quanatix]

Are there Bitcoiners in Hong Kong? How is the situation over there? I believe it should be Bitcoin's time, and help protesters in collecting donations, and help move value in Bitcoin.

I can't help but play the devil's advocate here given the phrasing of OPs statement. It seems as if the objective was simply to "collect donations" and "help move value in Bitcoin."

We are talking about the destiny of a people here and not merely the opportunistic tendency to take advantage of this simply to "move value in Bitcoin"

Replace Bitcoin with guns and you see what I mean.

"Are there gun owners in Hong Kong? How is the situation over there? I believe it should be time for citizens to have guns, and help them in collecting armaments, and help move value in the military industrial complex"

Let two issues, be two separate issues. Let the Hong Kongers define their fate. Bitcoin is apathetic. That's the hard truth.

Point number 1. IF the Hong Kong protestors feel like they need Bitcoin, then by all means, Bitcoin should be the best alternative they have against their current fiat and banking system. Anyway, it is still far from possible to live life entirely on Bitcoin. There are many problems when it comes to the collection in the form of Bitcoin donations. Why? Because you still have to trust multiple parties. Who are you going to trust when the HK movement is decentralized?

Point number 2. I don't quite recall how many miners are operational in China right now - but I believe most miners are manufactured there? And if the miners are asked to leave China - then that goes to show that it was once a powerhouse in terms of hashing power. Maybe it still is. I don't know. But if it is, then wouldn't the threat of a **seceding territory** using an alternative cryptocurrency, give rise to aggressive interest from China's cyber ops? And if they are planning on launching their own cryptocurrency, does this mean that they have enough hashing power to actually launch a 51% attack on Bitcoin if they decide to configure it for such an endeavor? China is one of the major cyber security threats.

Point number 3. Bitcoin is not 100% anonymous - it is pseudonymous. Actual companies actually try to de-anonymize Bitcoin transactions using complex algorithms all the time. I would think that China's IT capabilities and infrastructure place it in a position to actually accomplish a possible 51% attack if they wanted to. But who knows.

Point number 4. Even if donations were done in Bitcoin, where are they going to spend it on? Are they going to create an alternative government? This is highly politically-economically charged.

Remember, under the Sino-British declaration which mind you was ratified in the United Nations, Hong Kong is technically a part of China. And China is a member of the UN Security Council.

In theory, and only with the purest of intentions, Bitcoin along with some privacy coins offer a viable alternative. But the human element always comes into play. Where to spend? Who to trust?

Even if it became successful somehow - there's always the threat of People's Liberation Army troops knocking the heads of protestors until they divulge their private keys.

[Wind_FURY]

Are there Bitcoiners in Hong Kong? How is the situation over there? I believe it should be Bitcoin's time, and help protesters in collecting donations, and help move value in Bitcoin.

I can't help but play the devil's advocate here given the phrasing of OPs statement. It seems as if the objective was simply to "collect donations" and "help move value in Bitcoin."

Please, and you should.

We are talking about the destiny of a people here and not merely the opportunistic tendency to take advantage of this simply to "move value in Bitcoin"

Replace Bitcoin with guns and you see what I mean.

"Are there gun owners in Hong Kong? How is the situation over there? I believe it should be time for citizens to have guns, and help them in collecting armaments, and help move value in the military industrial complex"

Let two issues, be two separate issues. Let the Hong Kongers define their fate. Bitcoin is apathetic. That's the hard truth.

But Bitcoin does help in the destiny of not only "a people", but "all people" as a form of censorship-resistant, trustless, sovereign ownership of "a money", and it's apathetic.

Gun is a tool, Bitcoin is simply another tool.

Points

Relax. The people must start somewhere, and it will be a slow process. Let it find its niche.

[Wind_FURY]

Bitcoin transactions through LocalBitcoins might go to an all time high in the middle of the Hong Kong protest. Yes, it's not stopping.



Bitcoiners from Hong Kong, stick QR code stickers for Bitcoin donation addresses on their protest signs!

[ene1980]

They already banned BTC in the past. Don't you think Its going to raise an alarm to the government and will cause the crash again if they once again bann?

I am not sure whether Hong Kong banned bitcoin in the past, China had a trading ban in the past but Hong Kong had a different rules and regulation as far as i know as majority of the companies from China shifted to Hong Kong when they banned crypto based companies. The trading volume in LBC is at an all time high in Hong Kong as per reports and if the government forces the entire process will go underground and the government will find it difficult to track the real flow of money.

[crwth]

I thought the extradition law was canceled by Carrie Lam? [1]. I know it was getting out of hand with all the violence and vandalism. I still saw it too. I know that there were announcements that it's stopped. I've been to Hong Kong last month and it's quite peaceful. There are just some places that you are needed to avoid in order not to get caught up by the on-going protests. Not sure about the situations with the actual residents now though.

I just don't know why they are still doing protests though. I know that Hong Kong has been declining in the tourists too.


[1] - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49575381

[Wind_FURY]

I thought the extradition law was canceled by Carrie Lam? [1]. I know it was getting out of hand with all the violence and vandalism. I still saw it too. I know that there were announcements that it's stopped. I've been to Hong Kong last month and it's quite peaceful. There are just some places that you are needed to avoid in order not to get caught up by the on-going protests. Not sure about the situations with the actual residents now though.

I just don't know why they are still doing protests though. I know that Hong Kong has been declining in the tourists too.


[1] - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49575381

I believe that's only one of four other demands. Plus it's a protest, not a revolution. Hong Kong would be closed to ALL tourists if the whole is region is in a state of uncertainty.

[crwth]

I believe that's only one of four other demands. Plus it's a protest, not a revolution. Hong Kong would be closed to ALL tourists if the whole is region is in a state of uncertainty.

Well, Carrie Lam accepting the blame with the political crisis that is happening in Hong Kong is a gutsy thing to do, and I think I respect her for that but with the other four demands left, I read it was five demands and four left, it still hasn't stopped. I can't believe that lives were taken first before anything has been retracted. Just like Joshua Wong said, "it's a little too late".

The only thing that Bitcoin could help is that to prevent taxes and getting away from their government. Using that as their currency without any other middle party. That could be related to the increased transactions on LocalBitcoins.

[Wind_FURY]

I believe that's only one of four other demands. Plus it's a protest, not a revolution. Hong Kong would be closed to ALL tourists if the whole is region is in a state of uncertainty.

Well, Carrie Lam accepting the blame with the political crisis that is happening in Hong Kong is a gutsy thing to do, and I think I respect her for that but with the other four demands left, I read it was five demands and four left, it still hasn't stopped. I can't believe that lives were taken first before anything has been retracted. Just like Joshua Wong said, "it's a little too late".

The only thing that Bitcoin could help is that to prevent taxes and getting away from their government. Using that as their currency without any other middle party. That could be related to the increased transactions on LocalBitcoins.

Plus Bitcoin's usage for donations, spending, or anything in the protests could be a catalyst, and set its path to become a political tool, and as a form of leverage for the people.

[Lalafell]

Are there Bitcoiners in Hong Kong? How is the situation over there? I believe it should be Bitcoin's time, and help protesters in collecting donations, and help move value in Bitcoin.

Hong Kong has been engulfed in a series of protests as tensions over its relationship with Mainland China have been inflamed by recent proposed extradition legislation to the Mainland. Cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin were built to address several of the most pressing points in the Hong Kong protests, which are at the forefront of what it means to protest against a state equipped with all of the sophisticated technologies of the 21st century and the unrestrained ability to weaponize those capabilities against its citizenry. Many cryptocurrencies are moving towards enabling transactional anonymity, and a host of tools exist to make it easier to anonymize transactions.

[timerland]

It's been really crazy the past couple of years due to the tension between mainland China and Hong Kong, and every subject has become a heated discussion point.

Carrie Lam did take the blame for everything, which I actually respect a lot, and I think it'll help things a lot.

The problem here is, well the problem I am assuming is the tax evasion and anonymity that crypto-currencies like Bitcoin offers, and I'm pretty sure the government wants to be able to see what people are doing.

[buwaytress]

Just came out of this last week when I met a couple of friends living there and who participated in the earlier ones. They aren't bitcoiners but really had been considerimg using bitcoin but only to heed the advice of some organisers in their area to keep some of their.movements private.

Apparently they had been tracking debit spends to pinpoint locations even with public transport so prepaid bitcoin tickets sold on behalf of others was a real thing! Interesting times to be sure.

[Xxmodded]

Protest in Hong Kong is not have relationship with bitcoin, People in Hong Kong protest to get freedom from China and Hong Kong want to have their own law, Bitcoiner do not have relationship with how Hong Kong protest for again China and do not have effect for bitcoin price going up or going down because they are not allowed bitcoin.

[franky1]

just as the protests were dying down another one starts for a new reason

this time the novelty gift to sell is not placards, but facemasks

[Wind_FURY]

just as the protests were dying down another one starts for a new reason

this time the novelty gift to sell is not placards, but facemasks

The "corporatization of activism". That's reality, but that doesn't change the fact that Bitcoin, as a censorship-resistant cryptocurrency, can play its part against "the people's struggle against state repression".