Campaigners seeking more rights for Hongkongers say this month’s census in the United Kingdom provides a golden opportunity for people from Hong Kong to differentiate themselves from their mainland Chinese counterparts.

The ongoing UK census requires every household in the United Kingdom to make declarations about various factors including family size, occupation, religion and residence address. UK-based campaigners from Hong Kong are calling on new immigrants from the former British colony to stop calling themselves Chinese in the census forms.

By setting themselves apart as Hongkongers, they will provide the UK government with a clear signal that more resources should be spent on helping immigrants from Hong Kong integrate into society, such as providing translation services at hospitals, they say.

“The identity of Hongkongers should not only be known to Hong Kong people. The British people should also understand what we are all about,” said Basil, a member of the campaign group Power to Hongkongers. The group is calling on Hong Kong immigrants to state “Hongkongers” in any field relating to national identity or ethnic group in the census form.

Another campaigner, who calls himself Penguin, told Apple Daily that the British government should be properly informed about the exact size of the Hong Kong population in the UK, so it can provide adequate public resources for the group.

“If we can prove we are of a significant size, we may secure enough resources for education that caters to students who speak Cantonese and write with traditional Chinese characters,” he said.

A similar campaign has been held in the United States by student activist Frances Hui, who has called upon the U.S. government to include a category for “Hongkongers” when collecting ethnic data in that country.

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