Hong Kong: after the United States, the United Kingdom puts pressure on China

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There is a growing tone between the United States and China over security law enforcement in Hong Kong. Beijing says it is ready to take all necessary retaliatory measures if Washington continues to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, Washington requests a meeting of the Security Council. Now it is the United Kingdom that is pressuring Beijing, London could grant British nationality to 300,000 Hong Kong nationals if China does not back off from its plans

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The measure would concern people who already hold a UK overseas passport, a document that allows them to stay in the UK for six months without a visa. Bringing the right to stay and work in the UK from 6 months to 12 months renewable would thus allow many Hong Kongers to obtain British nationality, said British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab. Beijing will not fail to denounce this threat as interference in its affairs. But in London some MPs even want to go further by proposing to automatically grant British citizenship to holders of a national passport overseas.

Petition

For the 300,000 people concerned and in particular pro-democracy activists, British citizenship can be a safety net against political repression. The measure is in any case eagerly awaited by some. Last September, they demonstrated outside the British consulate and a petition to have the status of the famous passport reviewed had collected 100,000 signatures.

The United Kingdom had issued this overseas national passport before the island was returned to China. Since then, London has always refused to grant full citizenship to its Hong Kong holders.

► REPORT: the dismay of the Hong Kong protest

The decision validated Thursday in the Chinese Parliament to impose a national security law in Hong Kong has stunned the young people and the protest movement which is asking questions as to the follow-up to the mobilization. They fear the establishment of a police state and wonder what good to resist when the police are more and more powerful and multiply the arrests in particular of young people.

With our correspondent in Hong Kong ,  Florence de Changy

According to a large survey conducted by the organization of the movement after the announcement of the national security bill, 79% of participants estimated feeling anger and 62% of fear.

Jason is 29 years old and a year ago, he had quit his job to participate full time in the mobilization movement, because he considered the situation very serious. Today it is rung. He suffers from insomnia and a severe depression: “  A year ago I was very depressed, I had little hope, but now it's even worse! If you see what my friends say on Facebook, everyone says that we are dying, we are all screwed up, we are all screwed up!  "

One solution that more and more of them are contemplating is emigration. Like Tom, a former police officer, now a real estate agent: “  Not only my colleagues, but my clients too are talking about emigrating, in particular to the United Kingdom. But in fact they have no specific plan. I too would like to leave, but I would need money! "

The youngest are tempted by the idea of ​​independence, but for the former police officer Tom, they did not understand that the ideas are not enough to make the revolution.

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• United Kingdom
• Hong Kong
• China