A civil group that upholds the Hong Kong identity is conducting a fundraising sale from Wednesday, two years to the day since the outbreak of mass protests against the government’s extradition bill.

The civil organization, which calls itself Local Youth Will, will from 2 p.m. start a charity sale of protest memorabilia that include sound clips of the firing of guns and tear gas, which it stresses are not exhibits. All the items are available for purchase, it says.

The event is a reminder that 730 days have gone by since June 9, 2019, the start of monthslong demonstrations that evolved into a citywide democracy movement. Local Youth Will says it hopes to reconnect Hong Kong people with one another and with their fight to win democracy, resist the political regime’s tampering with history and pass on the truth.

“As long as we are willing to share, we will definitely influence others,” the group said. “The sparks of fire in other people will also become our inspiration to slowly carry on in the days ahead.”

Among the items for sale are photos, drawings, calendars and audio recordings that all capture landmark incidents in the democracy movement: the march of two million people on the streets in June 2019, the attack by a white-clad gang on Yuen Long train commuters on July 21 that year, and the mass arrest of democracy advocates early this year.

One of the clips, to be played on a tape recorder, records various sounds heard from June 9 onwards, including protesters’ storming of the Legislative Council building on July 1, the media’s live reporting of the July 21 mayhem inside Yuen Long train station, and the police’s firing of guns and tear-gas canisters along with the blowing of horns within Prince Edward station on Aug. 31.

Local Youth Will said that some people might find the audio clip disturbing. It was normal for unpleasant memories to be evoked from the sounds, the organization said, but it hoped that people would be able to collect their thoughts after listening and keep going.

The message was that each Hongkonger was not alone, and that there were still many in the city who were insisting on passing down the real history. Young people should be mobilized to demonstrate their will to act and to actively participate in civil society, the organization said.

At the same venue, it would hold a bartering event named “Spark,” to encourage visitors to donate and exchange objects so as to share their past and present feelings.

The organization had so far collected many things that Hongkongers would find familiar as they had been used at protest sites, such as gas masks and filters, gloves, dishes for steaming fish — which were used to block tear-gas canisters — and an allegiance declaration form donated by a civil servant.

The charity sale was a private event that required visitors to make reservations in advance. Law Tsz-wai, convenor of the group, said that they were ready to shut down any time, given the closure of the June 4 Museum last week after authorities made a surprise inspection and warned its operators of licensing issues.

Local Youth Will had also come under targeting by pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Po, which claimed it was a group that spread the idea of Hong Kong independence.

Law said they were prepared for criticism and that the attacks proved what they had done was correct.

A spokesperson, Chu Wai-ying, noted that many localists had either gone into self-exile or been remanded in custody since the passage of national security laws for the city. Localism was the ultimate bottom line, she said. “If we don’t even talk about localism, we are no longer Hongkongers.”

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