HKU student white paper protest 20221129

Blank pieces of paper, posters and placards have been used a form of protest. The message sent by such a protest is meant to be implicit and understood, but the lack of writing and slogans on the paper itself is designed to thwart efforts by authorities to prove that their prohibitions and regulations have been violated. Early examples occurred in the

1960s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Buzz ...

when protests became common. In 2022, the symbol was used in several countries, especially China.

Canada

A "Protest for Nothing" was held at

University of Toronto Schools University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school follows a specialized academic curriculum, and admission is determined by competitive exa ...

(UTS) in 1969. The protestors' placards were blank and their list of demands was a blank sheet of paper.

China

The use of a blank sheet of paper was prevalent during the

2022 COVID-19 protests in China A series of protests against COVID-19 lockdowns began in mainland China in November 2022. Colloquially referred to as the White Paper Protests ( zh, s=白纸抗议, p=Bái zhǐ kàngyì) or the A4 Revolution ( zh, link=no, s=白纸革命, p=Bá ...

as a symbol of

Chinese censorship Censorship in the People's Republic of China (PRC) is implemented or mandated by the PRC's ruling party, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is one of strictest censorship regimes in the world. The government censors content for mainly polit ...

. It was first used in the

2019–2020 Hong Kong protests The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, also known as the 2019 Hong Kong protests, or the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, were a series of demonstrations from 15 March 2019 in response to the introduction by the Hong Kong government ...

to protest the passing of the

Hong Kong national security law The Hong Kong national security law, officially the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a piece of national security legislation concerning Hong Kong. It ...

after slogans and phrases associated with the protests were banned. The terms "blank sheet of paper" and "white paper" were also removed from online search results by Chinese censors. White paper has additional significance in China because white is a symbol of death and colour of mourning.

Poland

In 1924, a newspaper in Cracow responded to official censorship by including blank sheets of paper as a special supplement. These were confiscated and a court upheld the seizure on the grounds that they had ridiculed the authorities "without presenting definite facts".

Russia

A Soviet political joke describes a disgruntled man holding up a white piece of paper in the street in protest and, when asked why, the protester replies that everyone knows what the paper is supposed to say. Protestors in the anti-war protests in Russia that followed the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

were arrested for holding up blank paper.

United Kingdom

Blank pieces of paper were used in protests that followed the

death of Elizabeth II On 8 September 2022, at 15:10 BST, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, and the longest-reigning British monarch, died of old age at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. The Queen's death ...

in September 2022. At

St Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended ...

in Edinburgh, protestors held up blank sheets of paper to protest the arrest of anti-monarchy demonstrators. In London, a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

who held up a blank piece of paper in

Parliament Square Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and it contai ...

was asked for his details by

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

officers, and told that he would be arrested under the

Public Order Act Public Order Act (with its variations) is a stock short title used for legislation in Malaysia, Rhodesia, Sierra Leone, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, relating to public order offences. List Hong Kong *The P ...

if he wrote "Not My King" on the paper. In February 2023 in Cornwall, a man holding a blank piece of paper at a visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales was detained by police.

United States

In 1965, the reality television series ''

Candid Camera ''Candid Camera'' is a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes ...

'' staged "Picketing Against Everything With Nothing" in the Bronx. The setting was an empty, snow-covered lot and the picketers had blank placards and distributed blank handbills. In 1970,

Anna Halprin Anna Halprin (born Hannah Dorothy Schuman; July 13, 1920 – May 24, 2021) was an American choreographer and dancer. She helped redefine dance in postwar America and pioneer the experimental art form known as postmodern dance and referred to hers ...

organised a "Blank Placard Dance" by members of her San Francisco Dancers' Workshop. They paraded, dressed in white, while holding blank placards. She explained, "...there were so many protests going on and this way each person watching us could just imagine whatever protest slogan they wanted on the placards."

References

{{Reflist, 30em Protest tactics Paper White symbols