National Security Law: a thinly veiled attempt to strip an entire nation of its freedoms.
‘’Today is the darkest day for Hong Kong’’, said artist and activist Ai Weiwei on Tuesday 30th June when Beijing unanimously passed a sweeping National Security Law, criminalising secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. The law will effectively curtail protests by the widening pro-democracy movement, inciting imprisonment of a minimum of three years and a maximum of life for offences of ‘grave nature’. For prominent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong this ‘’marks the end of Hong Kong that the world knew before.’’
While the Anti-Government demonstrations started peacefully, when an estimated one million people marched through the government district in response to a proposed extradition bill, the conflicts between protesters and the police quickly escalated in an increasingly violent manner.
University campuses, most notably of Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, became flashpoints for these conflicts.
Youngsters have consistently been undermined by Carrie Lam who said in a press conference last year that ‘’they have no stake in society’’, citing this as the reason they ‘’resorted to all this violence…causing huge damage to [the] economy’’. This, however, completely negates the notion that these youths are genuinely fearful for their futures and the future of their Region.
Defending the anti-sedition law as ‘’urgently needed’’ in the face of escalating violence, Beijing Approved Chief Executive Carrie Lam described young protesters as ‘’radicalised’’ and their demonstrations as ‘’terrorist acts’’, further alienating the agency of young protesters.
These youths, as well as other yellow-ribbon supporters, are faced with a harsh reality of structural and political violence as the Chinese Communist Party continues to strip the nation of its framework of autonomy as defined by the Sino-British ‘One Country, Two Systems’ deal, which doesn’t officially expire until 2047. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has been consistently vocal regarding the encroachment of the Chinese Communist Party on Hong Kong in the past months, referring to the ‘’draconian national security law’’ said:
‘’[China] promised 50 years of freedom to the Hong Kong people, and gave them only 23’’
Hongkongers are caught in an epidemic of socio-political uncertainty, stemming from historic animus between China and Britain during the mid-19th century Opium Wars and consolidated, more recently, by a deal made during the 1997 handover which meant to leave the region in a peculiar limbo for 50 years.
Eric Lai, from the Civil Human Rights Front, told VOA that protesters want a democratic society, an accountable government and a balance of power relations between the state and the people. Given that the National Security Law is an imposition ‘’on Hong Kong rather than through Hong Kong’’, using the words of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Dominic Raab, these desires seem further away than ever.
Rather conveniently, it seems, this controversial law was implemented just one hour before the 23rd anniversary of the return of China’s sovereignty over Hong Kong, a day marked by annual pro-democracy demonstrations which have been banned for the first time by authorities. Purple police flags, never before seen in the Region, warn Hongkongers they may be arrested for their ‘flags, banners, slogans or other behaviours during demonstrations.’ While veteran Leung Kwok-hung told Reuters ‘’we march every year… and we will keep on marching’’, Tsang Kin-shing of the League of Social Democrats said ‘’the charges will not be light, please judge for yourself.’’
Many protesters, however, decided to gather to mark this significant historical day. Hong Kong Police Force announced on Twitter that they had arrested more that 300 people ‘’unlawful assembly, violating the security law, obstructing police and possession of weapons.’’ Groups were dispersed by the all-too-common use of tear gas and several police officers where injured, including one who was stabbed.
Joshua Wong, who took to the street because ‘’now is not the time to give up’’, posted a harrowing video on Twitter of a reporter being ‘’squarely hit by #hkpolice’s water cannon on his head.’’ This is not the first-time journalists have been victims of police brutality during pro-democracy protests. Filipina Video Journalist Veby Mega Indah was half blinded in September 2019 after being hit by a rubber bullet. To this day no one has been held accountable despite her legal action to uncover the officer who shot her.
In a statement to the international community, a group of district councillors, activists and international politicians are appealing for countries to ‘’introduce Magnitsky-style targeted sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials, individuals, and organisations who are complicit in human rights abuses, erosion of freedom and undermining of the rule of law in Hong Kong.’’
Boris Johnson has announced that the UK government will provide a ‘’new route’’ for Hongkongers with British National (Overseas) status to enter the UK with the ability to live and work and thereafter apply for citizenship after this ‘’clear and serious breach.’’
The statement, however, also states that ‘’a coordinated creation of ‘’lifeboat’’ schemed by democratic states, such as the expansion of BNO rights by the United Kingdom… as a last resort.’’
Canada added: ‘’you may be at increased risk of arbitrary detention on nation security grounds and possible extradition to mainland China’’ to its Hong Kong travel advice, referencing Article 38 of the National Security Law which states the law will apply to people outside the Region, including those who are not permanent residents.
Responding to proposed sanctions by some countries, Zhang Xiaming of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council calls this ‘’the logic of bandits’’ and, Carrie Lam indicated these sanctions would be ‘’threats to sovereignty and national security’’ of which ‘’no central government could turn a blind eye.’’
The passing of this law is the most overt step by the Chinese Communist Party to subsume Hong Kong into its totalitarian regime, to treat the Region as one of its cities rather than the Special Administrative region that it technically is.
This is an humanitarian emergency which cannot be ignored. The international community, including but not limited to the UK, has a moral duty to #StandWithHongKong. People of Hong Kong deserve a chance to save their autonomy, their democracy and their freedom of expression. We must continue to raise awareness to keep this issue visible in the media, they cannot afford to be forgotten. Speak up and act now, while the world is still listening.
Photo Credit: Joshua Wong and Winehouse Yim
