Earlier this month was the 13th July 1 democracy rally, an event that tends to attract all kinds of causes – from domestic maid unions and a group demanding full British nationality for Hongkongers. But one eccentric faction unlikely to be showing themselves in public is the Hong Kong independence movement. They exist solely in cyberspace, mostly because some legislators have suggested their campaign is in defiance of archaic treason laws.

The Hong Konger Front is an alliance of websites proposing that the city finally declares itself a republic. Their website, www.hkfront.org, includes mock-ups of what the flag would look like along with a potential national anthem, complete with a catchy chorus (“Is it a great country? Yes, it is. Hong Kong is really great.”) It alludes to the fact that we may have something of a war with China on our hands (perhaps lasting 20 years) but fails to discuss how totally reliant we are on the Mainland for much of our food and all of our water.

There is little to unify the ideas and policies laid out on the different sites and Facebook groups, but all seem to harbour an odd nostalgia for the old colonial government coupled with a healthy disdain for the Mainland. Many of the foreign registered sites urge a boycott of China, foreseeing a democratic sovereign future state, headed by a president as part of the UK commonwealth.

While there is room for debate over Taiwan and Tibet’s status, these groups fail to consider how comfortable most Hongkongers now are with our new overseers. To protect the property market, a decision was made long before handover about the territory’s future, and soon the question of what happens to the city after 2047 will need to be tackled. However, it’s unlikely the ‘Republic of Hong Kong’ will be a viable option.

Tom Grundy