Outrage in Hong Kong against a new security law proposed by China

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The news fell yesterday afternoon with force and outrage over Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post newspaper said : "China plans to push national security laws for Hong Kong at its annual parliament meeting." In the evening, Beijing confirmed it. In other words, the protests that have bathed the former British colony since last June may be punished by secessionism, subversion and terrorism. Furthermore, this could mean the end of the semi-liberties system and the independent judiciary of the former colony under the formula 'One country, two systems', which they do not enjoy in Mainland China.

During the opening of the National People's Congress (ANP), Prime Minister Li Keqiang has said that the central government should establish in Hong Kong a "sound legal system and compliance mechanism to safeguard national security in the special administrative region." 17 years ago, more than 50,000 people took to the streets of Hong Kong to protest the anti-subversive law that Beijing wanted to impose at the time and, eventually, ended up filing. Despite the many threats to reactivate it in recent years, the Government did not dare. Until now.

In Beijing, a resolution was tabled today to allow the NPC Standing Committee to pass a new national security law tailored for Hong Kong. As can be read in the draft: "[Said law] would prevent, frustrate and punish any secessionist or subversive activity, the organization of terrorist acts and other acts that seriously threaten national security, as well as foreign and external interference activities in Hong Kong "

This new regulation would not pass at any time through the local Parliament of the former colony, although article 23 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong says that it must be the territory itself that promulgates this type of law by itself to "prohibit treason , secession, sedition and subversion "against the Chinese central government. Therefore, from the Beijing Assembly they will bypass Hong Kong's elected legislators and authoritatively impose the changes. A month ago, Luo Huining, the head of China's liaison office in Hong Kong, already called for laws to be passed urgently to combat "radical violence, foreign interference and independence forces."

As of Friday, May 8, the coronavirus had allayed protests in Hong Kong. A viral truce that was broken during a brawling brawl in Parliament over an argument to deliberate on who should chair the House Committee, MPs on the pro-Democratic side, or pro-government MPs. The atmosphere began to heat up and that weekend the protests returned in a dozen shopping centers. The day ended with 250 detainees after the confrontations between protesters and riot police.

Today, in the Hong Kong Parliament, there was a new altercation after several pro-democracy deputies protested the new security law that is promulgated in Beijing. The parliamentarians had attended a meeting in which another controversial national law was to be approved that would penalize any insult to the Chinese anthem.

Now, with the new national security law, everything indicates that the protests will become increasingly stronger in a region with the already controlled pandemic that has left 1,064 infected and four dead. "This is the end of Hong Kong. Beijing has completely failed to deliver on its promise to the people," said pro-democracy lawmaker Dennis Kwok. "The initiative is an attempt by Beijing to silence the critical voices of Hong Kong people through force and fear," politician and activist Joshua Wong wrote on Twitter.

"Comprehensive assault on the autonomy of the city"

In statements collected by The Guardian , several critics claim that this measure severely undermines Hong Kong's legal framework, established under the terms of the surrender of the former British colony to Chinese control in 1997. The one who was the last British governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten has called it a "comprehensive assault on city autonomy." Political analysts like James Griffiths, a producer on CNN, say this law will have "drastic effects on entire sectors of Hong Kong society, from the city's rebellious and defiant political sphere to the media, education and international Business".

From the United States, the State Department has also spoken out noting that "any effort to impose national security legislation that does not reflect the will of the Hong Kong people would be highly destabilizing and would be met with strong condemnation."

The new regulation, which is scheduled to be approved next week, is approaching the first anniversary of anti-government protests. Since last June, more than 7,000 protesters have been detained. Asia's financial epicenter entered a loop of violence last year. It all started with one main objective: for the government to withdraw a controversial bill that would have allowed the extradition of fugitives to mainland China. Critics feared that Beijing could use the bill to prosecute people for political reasons.

In the end, the head of the Executive, Carrie Lam, was able to overturn the law. But it was not enough because the protesters had already embraced four other demands that they were not going to drop: withdrawing the label "revolt" from the protests of June 12, which carries penalties of 10 years in prison for those detained in the marches of that day; investigating police abuses during protests, freedom for detainees and achieving full universal suffrage so that the people could also elect the chief executive. As clashes between protesters and police grew more frequent, protests began to spread throughout the city.

Now a new front of demonstrations is looming after the new security law. Carrie Lam herself, from her seat in the Beijing Assembly, has shown her full support for the Beijing order. "Once the draft is approved, the Hong Kong Administration will fully cooperate with the Standing Committee to complete the legislative process," said Lam. From Beijing they want to apply this change as soon as possible.

But they will have strong opposition, at least on the streets, from the Hong Kong pro-Democrats. Today there has been a small march, dispersed by the Police, to the Chinese Government Liaison Office. From the movement that has organized most of the demonstrations, the Civil Front for Human Rights (CHRF), have told their followers on social networks that they must go out to protest. Its purpose is to flood the streets with "more than two million people" before "an atomic bomb that is upon us." The date has yet to be defined. It would be the first major demonstration of millions of people together in times of pandemic.

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