For Hong Kong celebrities, supporting protests comes with a cost

Some entertainers who only hinted at their support for the demonstrations have come under pressure to clarify their positions

As Hong Kong’s protests evolve into a struggle against the grip of authoritarian China, one of the city’s biggest pop stars has emerged as an icon of defiance. She has spoken at rallies, handed out voter registration forms at marches and stood on the front lines with demonstrators, urging the riot police not to charge.
 

Denise Ho, a Cantopop singer, is just one of many high-profile figures in the decentralised protest movement, but among Hong Kong’s celebrities, she is a rare breed. Ms. Ho threw her stardom behind the city’s pro-democracy movement five years ago and has since been paying