The Hong Kongers are again on the street. Hundreds of people began to assemble on Sunday, May 24, in central Hong Kong to denounce the proposed security law, which aims to ban "treason, secession, sedition [and] subversion". 

The demonstrators chanted slogans of the pro-democracy movement while the riot police, deployed in force, began to fire tear gas to disperse them. The police had previously warned them of the illegality of their gathering in the shopping districts of Causeway Bay and Wanchai.  

"We are back"

Pro-democracy activists have multiplied the calls to rally since the tabling of the bill on Friday, May 22, at the opening of the annual session of the National People's Congress (ANP), the Chinese Parliament. This text comes after repeated warnings from the Chinese communist power against any dissent in Hong Kong, shaken last year by seven months of monster demonstrations in favor of democracy.

Although reinforced by the triumph of "pro-democracy" in the local elections in November, this mobilization stopped at the beginning of the year because of the thousands of arrests and the bans on assembly in the framework of the fight against the coronavirus.           

More than 8,300 people have been arrested since the protest began a year ago. About 200 were arrested on the sidelines of smaller-scale actions during Mother's Day in early May. But the activists were determined to defy the restrictions and resume the movement. "We are back! See you on the streets on May 24," said graffiti on a wall near the Kowloon Tong metro station.  

Passage in force

Hong Kong enjoys a very large autonomy compared to the rest of the country led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), under the concept "One country, two systems" which had presided over its retrocession by London in 1997. Its inhabitants benefit freedom of expression, freedom of the press and independent justice. Rights unknown in mainland China.

This model is supposed to last until 2047 but many Hong Kongers have been denouncing increasing interference from Beijing for years. And many see Beijing's entry into force on the issue of the national security law as a departure from the principle of "one country, two systems".

Article 23 of the "Basic Law", which has served as a mini-constitution for the semi-autonomous territory for two decades, provides that the region itself adopts a security law. However, this clause was never applied because a large part of Hong Kongers saw it as a threat to their freedoms. The last attempt by the Hong Kong executive to implement article 23 in 2003 had failed in the face of monster protests.

Opponents of the text fear in particular a clause that would allow Chinese police to conduct investigations in Hong Kong with their Hong Kong counterparts. Many see it as the beginnings of a repression of all dissent on the territory.

With AFP

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