Fragile Bard
| Fragile Bard | |
|---|---|
 Fragile Bard speaking at a campaign in support of the Hong Kong 47 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | |
| Nationality |  Hong Kong |
| YouTube information | |
| Channels | Chronicle of Fragile Items Joku Itsurou |
| Location | Greater Los Angeles |
| Years active | December 17, 2022 – present |
| Genre(s) | Politics, anti-CCP |
| Subscribers | Chronicle of Fragile Items: 10,000+ Joku Itsurou: 540 (December 2, 2024) |
| Total views | Chronicle of Fragile Items: 576,669 Joku Itsurou: 135,459 (December 2, 2024) |
Last updated: December 2, 2024 | |
Fragile Bard (Chinese: 易碎君, lit. 'Fragile') is a YouTuber originally from Hong Kong, currently residing in the United States. He was enrolled at the King's College, Hong Kong prior to fleeing. At 15 years of age, he was arrested and interrogated by the Hong Kong police National Security Department, and his computer and phone searched, for creating works on social media that satirize Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party, and its government.[1]
Fragile Bard publishes works and opinions on his YouTube channel "Chronicle of Fragile Items", Discord, and other platforms. The pseudonym is inspired by Namewee's song "Fragile", satirizing the sensitivity of the Little Pink and Chinese ultranationalists to any criticism.[2]
Experience
[edit]In September 2021, Fragile Bard entered high school, and was introduced to the controversial "Citizenship and Social Development" course, questioned as brainwashing education in Hong Kong.[3] The course further motivated him to satirize and spoof Xi Jinping.[1][4][2]
On February 10, 2022, five National Security Department police officers came to Fragile Bard's home with a search warrant issued by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, conducted an investigation, took him to the police station, and interrogated him about his YouTube account and the Ruters Association, an association of anti-CCP creators in which Fragile Bard had participated.[5] The police accused Fragile Bard of sedition, demanded him to sign a confession with screenshots of his channel, and confiscated his computer, mobile phone, and other personal belongings. Since then, the national security police continually harassed Fragile Bard, and pressured him to act as an informant and provide information about other members of the Ruters Association.[1][2] Under stress and unease from the arrest, interrogation, and harassment, Fragile Bard completed 10th grade at King's College.[5]
In August 2022, Fragile Bard decided to leave Hong Kong. With the help of his elder brother, he flew to San Francisco alone as an unaccompanied minor, and sought political asylum. Upon arriving in the United States, Fragile Bard was detained at an immigration facility for over three months, and lived with two foster families.[5] As his asylum application is pending, he may legally reside in the U.S. Having been released from detention, Fragile Bard attended a public high school. Meanwhile, his family left Hong Kong and relocated to the United Kingdom.[6] Fragile Bard's experience reflects the suppression of free speech under the Hong Kong National Security Law. He said in an interview that many young people had chosen to leave Hong Kong because of the political situation.[2]
In March 2024, Fragile Bard assisted a 14-year-old named Ah-Loong, who faced doxxing after founding an anti-communist group on Roblox. Fragile Bard supported Ah Loong in seeking political asylum in Canada, which was granted later that month.[7]
In September 2024, Fragile Bard began studying computer-related courses at university, with the goal of using his skills to contribute to society.[5] He has also supported legal and social aid for individuals like Yuen Hong Tam, a youth who participated in the Great Translation Movement and sought asylum in the U.S. [8]
Fragile Bard has stated his intention to remain active in advocacy, including participation in the Great Translation Movement and raising awareness about issues related to Hong Kong and the Chinese Communist Party through various platforms. He expressed hope to eventually return to Hong Kong if it becomes a free and democratic society.
Fragile Bard participated in international solidarity activities supporting the "47-person primary election case" and mentioned in his speech that one of the defendants in the case is the father of his classmate in Hong Kong. After the verdict was announced, his classmate called him to express their frustration. Fragile Bard remarked: "(One of) my friend, a teenager, whose father only wanted to serve the people—what crime did they commit to deserve being forcibly separated for years?" He criticized the regime's actions as not merely convicting the 45 defendants but also oppressing hundreds of thousands of citizens who participated in the primary election voting and anyone who hopes for representation in the government. He described this as a blatant attack on democracy.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "15歲港男惡搞習近平「慘遭政治迫害」，飛美求庇護仍有陰影：回不去了" [A 15-year-old Hong Konger satirized Xi Jinping and "suffered political persecution". Flew to the United States to seek asylum, but still under shadow: He can't go back] (in Chinese). FTV News. 2024-02-23.
- ^ a b c d "香港少年易碎君、小维尼熊和言论自由 (2)" [Hong Kong youth Fragile Bard, Winnie the Pooh, and freedom of speech (2)] (in Chinese). Radio Free Asia. 2024-04-10.
- ^ "專訪前英皇中學學生易碎君：公社科究竟在教什麼？為什麼流亡前要帶走教材？" [Interview with Former King's College Student Fragile Bard: What Exactly Does "Citizenship and Social Development" Teach? Why Did He Take Teaching Materials with him Pre-exile?] (in Chinese).
- ^ "香港少年易碎君、小维尼熊和言论自由 (1)" [Hong Kong youth Fragile Bard, Winnie the Pooh, and freedom of speech (1)] (in Chinese). Radio Free Asia.}
- ^ a b c d "流亡美國香港少年開始就讀大學，沒帶仇怨誓要活好每一天" [Hong Kong teenager in exile in the United States begins to attend college, aims to live well every day without grudges] (in Chinese). Voice of America. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "逃離新香港：香港國安法下的年輕受害者，易碎君的抗爭與流亡之路" [Escaping from the New Hong Kong: Young victim of the Hong Kong National Security Law, Fragile Bard's path of resistance and exile]. 同文 Commons (in Chinese). 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ "Hong Kong Teen Allegedly Doxxed for Creating Anti-CCP Roblox Group Seeks Political Asylum in Canada" (in Chinese).
In a recent episode of Radio Free Asia's program "Online Gambit", a 17-year-old Hong Kong teenager now in the United States, Fragile Bard, revealed that he recently organized the rescue of another 15-year-old Hong Kong dissident, helping them leave Hong Kong to seek political asylum in Canada.
- ^ "Hong Kong Participant of the "Great Translation Movement" Seeks Political Asylum in the U.S."
Yuen Hong Tam's friend, 18-year-old Hong Kong teenager Fragile Bard, who resides in Los Angeles, shared that Tam had previously translated one of his speeches during a protest outside the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles into English and posted it on the official Twitter account of the Great Translation Movement. Fragile Bard said, "He also told me that he planned to seek asylum in the United States, but he didn't share specific details or timelines. It wasn't until he ended up in immigration detention and realized the situation wasn't as optimistic as he had imagined that he called me to inform me of his current circumstances." When asked by reporters if he was satisfied with his decision to come to the U.S., Tam expressed gratitude to Fragile Bard and others who had helped him, saying his situation had shifted from "desperation" to "gradual improvement." He added, "The conditions here are absolutely better than in Hong Kong's prisons—absolutely, absolutely."
- ^ "Primary Election 47 Case｜Owen Chow, Helena Wong, Tiffany Yuen, and Winnie Yu Appeal as UK, US, Canada, Taiwan, and Hong Kongers Hold Relay Rallies in Solidarity".