A prominent cartoonist in Hong Kong, Wong Kei-kwan, had his satirical comic strip, which had been running for decades, scrapped by the Ming Pao newspaper on Thursday, May 11th. The move has been seen as the latest blow to media freedom in the China-ruled city. Wong, who goes by the pen name Zunzi, said that the comic strip was axed after official complaints. He had been informed of official complaints numerous times by Ming Pao, even this week. The comic strip was known for its satirical take on Hong Kong and Chinese politics and society.
Ming Pao did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters. Hong Kong’s security chief, Chris Tang, labelled one of the cartoons “misleading” in April. The cartoon showed a man saying that an increase in Hong Kong security spending would translate into more prisons, more prisoners, more prison guards and more judges.
Wong appeared resigned to the end of his cartoon strip while saying: “The situation continues to develop in a bad direction”. He stated that “there are still many journalists who continue to speak out on different platforms, and comics are only one form,” and that he would continue to speak out when he has the opportunity.
Zunzi’s comic strip was seen as one of the last remaining bastions of unflinching criticism in the Hong Kong media after the national security law was imposed in the aftermath of the pro-democracy protests in 2019. The Hong Kong Journalists Association released a statement that said, “The incident reflects that critical voices cannot be tolerated in Hong Kong, and freedom of speech has been further narrowed, which is harmful to society.”
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