Anger over propaganda allegations: Frankfurt Airport stops Hong Kong advertising campaign

Created: 06/08/2022, 23:00

By: Sandra Kathe

On two billboards at Frankfurt Airport, China advertises a "new era" in the metropolis of Hong Kong, which became a "special administrative region" for China in 1997.

Frankfurt – Two billboards at Frankfurt Airport caused a stir, outrage and some complaints.

Because a campaign is promoting a "new era" in Hong Kong, which was incorporated into China as a "special administrative region" 25 years ago.

The tabloid

also reported on the criticism of the campaign.

Now the airport has prematurely ended the advertising partnership and suspended advertising.

To justify how the much-criticized advertising in the transit area of ​​Germany's largest airport could come about,

cited a statement from airport operator Fraport, which said that the political scope of the advertising campaign had "not been adequately examined".

One wants to learn from this and react “more sensitively” to political motives in the future.

According to the report, the premature end of the advertising partnership resulted in “losses”, as reported by fr.de.

Advertising at Frankfurt Airport reaches millions of people from all over the world.

Therefore, politicians are now calling on the airport operator to exercise caution.

(Iconic image) © Star-Media/Imago

Anger about advertising at Frankfurt Airport: Political developments in Hong Kong

The background against which many travelers noticed the advertising motif as potential Chinese propaganda is the political situation in the former British colony of Hong Kong, which has belonged to China as a "special administrative region" since 1997 and has since been known as Chinese under the motto "One country, two systems". "Special case" is highlighted.

For example, China had committed to allowing Hong Kong to make autonomous decisions on many political issues for at least 50 years.

The reality is that in Hong Kong since the beginning of May, John Lee, a head of government who is very close to Beijing and who has already been sanctioned by the USA for restricting Hong Kong's autonomy, has been in charge of the fate of the metropolis.

Before his appointment as head of government, Lee led the security authorities of the special administrative region for a long time and in this capacity already had protests and actions by pro-democracy oppositionists put down.

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Politicians criticize Frankfurt Airport for Hong Kong advertising and call for cultural change

The "new era" in Hong Kong and its "stability, prosperity and opportunities" are also advertised on the website to which the advertising campaign, which has since been removed by Fraport at Frankfurt Airport, leads.

A new security law in Hong Kong is said to allow the country to maintain its national security and stability.

Changes to the electoral system and the introduction of the "patriots run Hong Kong" principle helped "restore" constitutional order.

According to the picture report, the decision of the airport operator to remove the campaign was praised from many sides in German politics, but there were also calls not to let it get that far in the future.

For example, the human rights policy spokesman for the Union faction in the Bundestag, Michael Brand (CDU), called for a "cultural change so that serious German companies do not become lackeys of brutal regimes through negligence or anticipatory obedience, who misuse this serious name to match truth with lies fight".

Because: "To conduct propaganda for a brutal dictatorship, companies as a whole simply must not happen in the free world." (ska)