It's the weekend of BlizzCon, Blizzard's annual convention and the of the publisher's plans for the next year. While the expected announcements haven't been made yet, a different expected event is already picking up pace: pro Hong Kong protestors have gathered at the Anaheim convention halls. The protesters are speaking out against Activision Blizzard for their suspension of Hearthstone pro Ng "blitzchung" Wai Chung, after the player expressed his support for the Hong Kong riots against China.
Volunteers of protest group Freedom Hong Kong are handing out free T-shirts and pamflets with information at roads leading to the venue. Another activist group present at the event is Gamers For Freedom, who tried to rally people for the protest online.
Other protestors have chosen to don a Winnie the Pooh costume to voice their criticism towards China. Ever since it became an online meme to compare China's president Xi Jingping to the cartoon bear, Pooh's image has been banned from the country. One group of protesters even staged a full-fledged presidential escort, with Winnie the Pooh acting as president in the convoy.
While police is present at the event, they haven't focused on the protesters in particular and seem to ignore them. The people wearing Winnie the Pooh costumes are allowed inside the venue too—as long as people adhere to the guide lines published last May, it seems Blizzard isn't prohibiting anyone from entering the BlizzCon halls.
- Tom Matthiesen
- Email : TomM@invenglobal.com
- Lara Lunardi
- Email : laralunardi@gmail.com
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