Agnes Chow, 27, was the female face of Hong Kong's youth revolt in the 2010s. With her doll-like face, long sweeping bangs and still slightly childish appearance, she threw herself into political activism at the age of 15. She was part of the inseparable trio, along with Joshua Wong, 27, currently in prison, and Nathan Law, 30, living in exile in London under an international arrest warrant issued by the Hong Kong government in July, with a reward of one million Hong Kong dollars (€118,816).
During the period when Chow moved from podium to stepladder to address crowds with her megaphone, some dubbed her the "goddess of democracy," drawing an analogy with the sculpture that stood in Beijing's Tiananmen Square during the 1989 Chinese student uprising. Moreover, her love of Japanese culture and the Japanese language – which she taught herself – won her a surprisingly large following in Japan. If the government hadn't disqualified her candidacy in 2018, Chow could have been Hong Kong's youngest MP at 21 years old.
Chow officially disclosed her difficult decision to go into exile just two weeks before the start of the trial for Jimmy Lai, the 76-year-old businessman and media magnate, a prominent figure in the imprisoned pro-democracy camp since December 2020. She announced her decision on December 3 – her birthday – from Toronto, where she had arrived in September to continue her studies.
In a lengthy two-part message posted on Facebook and Instagram, liked over 160,000 times, she discussed the anguish she experienced on parole in Hong Kong. She shared how she eventually came up with the idea of applying for a master's degree in Canada. Only once there did she become aware of her desire to live free from fears and threats, and decided not to return to her native country. She said she had made her decision "after careful consideration, including considering the situation in Hong Kong, my own safety, my physical and mental health."
However, her message also outlined the rather unsettling negotiations that allowed her to retrieve her passport. The Hong Kong police offered to return her documents, enabling her to study in Toronto, contingent on her writing a letter of repentance about her political activities and committing not to associate with people connected to her political past. She complied, knowing she didn't really have a choice.
Following that, a more peculiar condition surfaced: She had to agree to a one-day trip to Shenzhen, the large border city with China, escorted by five members of the political police, which she did one fearful day in August. She mentioned her obligation to attend an exhibition showcasing China's significant achievements following reform and opening-up, as well as a visit to the headquarters of the tech giant Tencent. The visits were punctuated by photo sessions. She also had to write several letters expressing her gratitude.
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