On a Saturday afternoon in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong’s bustling shopping district, everything seemed as if everything was going on as usual.
Amidst a plethora of shoppers in the area, waving flags with images of pro-democracy politicians fluttered in the warm summer air. Politicians yelled into the microphones, urging people to vote for them in an unofficial poll to choose candidates to participate in the Legislative Council (LegCo) elections in September.
A closer inspection showed that things were no longer the same as before.
Anti-government banners and graffiti abandoned the streets. The outside wall of a small tea shop that used to be covered in colorful sticky notes with protest slogans had been stripped bare.
Under a tree, a young volunteer from one of the candidates spoke through a loud hailer: “Precisely because of the national security law, we need to use the freedom that we still have.”
“Let’s not forget those eight characters!” He said, euphemistically referring to a popular protest slogan now banned by the government as “secessionist” under the national security law, which was enacted two weeks ago on July 1.
A police van was parked a few meters from the street booths, a clear reminder to activists that they are under the watchful eye of the authorities.
Welcome to the new Hong Kong.
The atmosphere in the city that prided itself on its tradition of the rule of law and civil liberties has changed dramatically in the days since the enactment of the national security law imposed by Beijing. It punishes the crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.
Several young political groups dissolved. Nathan Law, a 26-year-old opposition politician, fled to the UK and became Hong Kong’s first dissident-in-exile under the new law. The government declared the protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong; Revolution of Our Time” pro-independent, secessionist, subversive, and therefore illegal under the new law.
Ten people have been arrested in a protest for possessing materials considered “subversive”. Authorities ordered schools to check out books that could “endanger” national security. Public libraries suspended books by opposition figures. Police no longer need search warrants and can restrict suspects’ movements, freeze their assets and intercept communications for national security cases. The national security headquarters began operating last week from a converted hotel building.
The fear has begun, but the spirit of defiance remains strong. The colorful pro-democracy messages on Hong Kong’s “Lennon Walls” have largely been knocked down after police warnings, but have been replaced in many places by blank notes. Instead of displaying slogans that are now seen as “sensitive” during protests, people hold up blank pieces of paper. Euphemistic expressions are invented every day online to express discontent.
An estimated 600,000 people turned out to vote in the primary elections for the pro-democracy camp over the weekend, hoping to capture a majority in the legislature, despite threats from officials that the exercise could violate the law on national security and candidates who oppose the law. can be disqualified
China declared the primaries illegal on Monday and city authorities launched an investigation into the vote. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam warned that they could have “fallen into the category of subverting state power” if the Democrats’ goal was to obstruct government policies.
The owner of the tea shop in Causeway Bay said that despite the fact that she and her partners decided to remove the display of pro-democratic messages for fear of breaking the law, it deeply annoyed her.
“I feel dejected, heartbroken, anguished and completely helpless,” said Liu, who declined to give her full name. “But even without the exhibition, the spirit is in everyone’s hearts.”
A day after the law was enacted, the police warned several restaurants that the posters and political flyers should be removed.
Lawrence Lau, the lawyer for the first national security case in a Hong Kong court, said the government’s interpretation of certain breaches of national security law failure has no legal basis.
His client, a 23-year-old motorcyclist who ran into a police officer while carrying a flag saying “Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our time” during the July 1 protest, is the first person accused of inciting secession and terrorism under the new law. . The new law denied bail, which says judges will not grant bail unless they have reason to believe that the defendant will no longer jeopardize national security.
Lau said this runs counter to the common law principle of the presumption of innocence that Hong Kong has always practiced.
“The law does not inform us what is and what is not allowed. People are not sure when they would touch the red line, “he said. “This is the rule of fear.”
Lam has argued otherwise. She said the law was necessary because protesters have presented threats to national security and residents were “living in fear.” Authorities praised the law for “restoring stability in Hong Kong” after months of sometimes violent pro-democracy protests.
Pro-democracy politicians say they have no choice but to move on, even if it means being disqualified and going to jail.
“Hong Kong has become really abnormal in the past two weeks. The government has been spreading fear. Whatever you do, they say it’s illegal, whether it’s voting, posting online, being on the streets, “said Ted Hui, a lawmaker who has organized protests at LegCo meetings, acts that could now amount to subversion under the new law and possibly lead to their disqualification.
“Yes, they could disqualify us all. We have to tread a fine line in everything we do now, but our goal of fighting for democracy has not changed, “said Hui, who emerged as the candidate with the most votes in his constituency.
Some say that even if they have to keep quiet for now, their yearnings for democracy will not be quelled and they believe that things will eventually change.
“I look forward to that day,” said Liu. “History does not lie”.
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