Who Is Jimmy Lai?
Hong Kong’s multimillionaire media mogul backs Trump and has been a key voice in anti-Chinese protests. At 73 he’s willing to put himself on the line for his beliefs, as his recent arrest shows.
- Words by: Zoe Dickens
Hong Kong’s multimillionaire media mogul backs Trump and has been a key voice in anti-Chinese protests. At 73 he’s willing to put himself on the line for his beliefs, as his recent arrest shows.
Hong Kong’s multimillionaire media mogul backs Trump and has been a key voice in anti-Chinese protests. At 73 he’s willing to put himself on the line for his beliefs, as his recent arrest shows.
Jimmy Lai is not like most businessmen. Lai – whose personal wealth is estimated at $1 billion – has been fighting for a long time. Through his roster of publications including Apple Daily, he has championed free speech and, last summer, he led from the forefront of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Naturally, his participation was not without repercussions; following the protests, Lai was arrested in August on suspicion of “collaborating with foreign forces”, a charge Beijing was able to bring against him in the wake of a national security law imposed on Hong Kong following the unrest. Upon his arrest Lai was filmed being marched from his house in handcuffs. Later, he was put through a ‘perp walk’ in the offices of his own newspaper.
Jimmy Lai is not like most businessmen. Lai – whose personal wealth is estimated at $1 billion – has been fighting for a long time. Through his roster of publications including Apple Daily, he has championed free speech and, last summer, he led from the forefront of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Naturally, his participation was not without repercussions; following the protests, Lai was arrested in August on suspicion of “collaborating with foreign forces”, a charge Beijing was able to bring against him in the wake of a national security law imposed on Hong Kong following the unrest. Upon his arrest Lai was filmed being marched from his house in handcuffs. Later, he was put through a ‘perp walk’ in the offices of his own newspaper.
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Discover the perks of being a member
| Clubhouse Membership | |
|---|---|
| Two Magazines per yearDelivered to your door | |
| Full Access to Paywall contentAccess to all member-only online features | |
| Membership Cardto redeem all the perks. | |
| Members Invites to Exclusive Eventsto private Clubhouse events | |
| Weekly newsletter Straight to your inbox | |
1 year £39.99 Equivalent to £3.33/month |
