Top Hong Kong singer loses concert venue amid crackdown

Popular Hong Kong singer and pro-democracy activist Denise Ho will not be allowed to perform at one of the city’s top theaters later this month, amid a crackdown by authorities on dissent in the city

HONG KONG -- A popular Hong Kong singer and pro-democracy activist will not be allowed to perform at one of the city’s top theaters later this month, in an indication that a crackdown by authorities on dissent is reaching the entertainment and cultural scene. The Hong Kong Arts Centre cited a public safety clause in canceling Denise Ho's venue reservations for her concerts, according to a statement posted Wednesday on Facebook by the singer's company, Goomusic. The cancellation came days after pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao accused Ho of being “anti-China” due to her involvement in the 2019 pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Ho is an outspoken activist and joined in widespread protests during the city's Umbrella Movement in 2014 and later in 2019 that sought to protect Hong Kong's longstanding civil liberties from mainland Chinese interference. “We can’t help but ask how the Hong Kong Arts Centre, as an independent institution supporting contemporary art which has been operating for 44 years, can now arbitrarily suspend contracts without substantive evidence?” Goomusic said.