"Hong Kong cannot afford such chaos." A year after the wave of pro-democracy protests, semi-autonomous island executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday June 9 that all Hong Kong people need to prove that they are "citizens reasonable and sensible from the People's Republic of China ". And this, if they wanted to maintain their freedoms and their autonomy, warned Carrie Lam.

>> Read: "China knows it is strong enough to do what it wants with Hong Kong"

Carrie Lam spoke at her weekly press briefing, which coincided with the anniversary of a giant demonstration against an extradition bill. This was to facilitate the transfer of suspects to China for trial.

"Anti-virus software in Hong Kong"

The protest is seen as the starting point for an anti-government protest, which has revived in recent weeks, as Beijing strengthens its grip on the city.

The Chinese government in fact passed a bill in May aimed at prohibiting separatism, subversion, the preparation or commission of terrorist activities as well as the activities of foreign forces constituting interference in business.

"Once in force, this law will be as if we had installed anti-virus software in Hong Kong, with the principle 'one country, two systems' working in a safer, more fluid and more durable way," is defended on Monday Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Bureau.  

New calls for protest

Opponents of this law, currently being drafted in Beijing, fear that it opens the way to an unprecedented erosion of freedoms in this financial metropolis.

After a lull during the coronavirus pandemic, protesters have returned to the streets in recent weeks and further rallies are expected.

The messaging forums used by the protest movement call on residents to mobilize on Tuesday evening to mark this first anniversary. At the same time, student groups and unions have announced their intention to poll their members on a possible strike movement in the coming days. However, the trade union movement remains weak in this metropolis of almost 7.5 million inhabitants.

>> Read also: When China unleashes its "wolf soldiers" on the diplomatic scene

Last year, some 9,000 people were arrested in Hong Kong for taking part in the protests, and more than 1,700 have already been charged.

With AFP and Reuters 

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