Hidden Agenda fans flooded the internet with memes and comics after the industrial building live house was raided on Sunday night, leading to the arrests of seven people.
Members of overseas groups This Town Needs Guns and Mylets have been allowed to leave Hong Kong, but must return in June as they are suspected of breaching their conditions of stay.
See also: Hidden Agenda raid: All 7 released, as UK band laments Hong Kong’s ‘difficult’ creative environment
Venue founder Hui Chung-wo was charged with four different immigration offences, while two others were charged with obstructing a police officer and assault respectively.
Graphic artist DDED mocked the deployment of dozens of officers in riot gear and police dogs in a cartoon posted a mere two hours after they arrived at the independent music venue.
“Stop! Drop your microphones!” shout six officers in the cartoons, pointing pistols and rifles at three musicians.
ArmChannelTV placed two photographs side by side. One featured local band Thud playing at Hidden Agenda, and the other featured “singing aunties” – a trend of dancing and singing in public spaces perceived to be imported from mainland China.
“Two types of people play music in Hong Kong,” read the caption. “One gets arrested, the other does not.”
Bottled water brand Cool also lamented the incident in a Facebook post, posting a photograph of what appeared to be the front gate of the music venue.
Instead of reading “Hidden Agenda,” however, the sign above the door read: “Once upon a time, we had a hidden culture of music.”
“This Town Needs Choices,” read the post, in reference to the name of the British band whose members were arrested.
“If you refuse to be numb and discover possibilities outside of the mainstream, you will find that hidden topics are also deserving of your praise.”
Chief executive Leung Chun-ying and several pro-Beijing lawmakers have defended Sunday night’s raid, which received widespread media coverage.
