"I support the protesters, but as a foreigner, I can not afford to participate, on pain of having my work visa confiscated," said Xavier *, a French banker who has been living in Hong Kong for ten years. He is not alone in fearing the response of the authorities of the former British colony. Several French contacted by France 24 refused to answer our questions for fear of reprisals.

The pro-democracy movement, which has been demonstrating almost daily since June to denounce the decline in freedoms and Beijing's growing interference, announced new rallies on Saturday (September 28th) to mark the fifth anniversary of the "Umbrella Movement". In 2014, this popular uprising demanded genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong without obtaining the slightest concession from the Chinese authorities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the French not to protest

On its website, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends for its part to "especially stay away from any gathering", stating that wearing "black and white colors today equated to protesters and counter-protesters ( ...) can cause confusion if you are in a staging area or stress. A large part of French expatriates, however, supports the Hong Kong opposition movement, originally launched against the proposed relaxation of extradition rules to mainland China, finally abandoned on 4 September.

Several French people contacted by France 24 have broken the recommendations and participated in the first demonstrations in June. Jean *, a father living in Hong Kong for ten years, is one of them. "I wanted to see the story unfold before my eyes: a human tide of 2 million people marched! And I was part of it. Two out of 7 million inhabitants, it is quite exceptional", enthuses- there. "Then I did not go back because even though most of the protests remain pacifist, it happens that it turns to scuffles with barricades burned some evenings."

pic.twitter.com/vkUBBakoEi

Gillian Wong / 黄敬 龄 (@gillianwong) June 9, 2019

Through the window of his building, Xavier has a view of a neighboring building belonging to the Chinese government. He recalls seeing this summer hordes of police repel demonstrators at the foot of his home. "Squadrons were following one after the other, I turned on the television and I went to the same stage, it was very impressive because here, it's very peaceful usually," says the French expatriate. who had to change his habits.

"Here you are easily stuck and it falls on you"

The 30-year-old now adopts circumvention strategies to avoid being near the rallies. "It happened to me, I did not follow the news, I found myself in the middle of the crowd and was quickly pulled out by Hong Kong protesters in black T-shirts. 'have warned of security risks,' says Xavier, who wishes to emphasize the pacifism of this protest movement.

"Riot Days", I always check local English sites and live blogs, sometimes I call my friends in Hong Kong to find out more, because on social networks most of the information is in Cantonese. It is very easily stuck and it falls on you, "he laments.

The effects of Hong Kong political tensions end up being felt on the attraction of the former British colony. According to Bloomberg, work visa applications from expatriates of all nationalities have dropped by 7% and the number of temporary residents - living in Hong Kong between one and three months - has fallen by 4.1% in the first half of 2019.

Although neither Xavier nor Jean plans to leave the British colony because of the current political crisis, other French people are thinking of going to work elsewhere, especially those who have invested in luxury hotels and restaurants, sectors heavily affected by events. Most of their clientele is made up of wealthy Chinese from the mainland, protests prodemocracy and the rise of an anti-Chinese feeling in Hong Kong society dissuade Chinese travelers from coming to stay in Hong Kong.

The month of August recorded a 40% drop in tourists according to the Hong Kong Ministry of Finance, especially after several days of occupation of the Hong Kong International Airport by pro-democracy protesters.

* The first names have been changed.