So much for “one country, two systems” framework.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been working to stomp out democracy in Hong Kong for the past year. While the world is focused on the coronavirus, local issues, an upcoming Presidential election in the United States, and now discussions about systemic racism and police brutality, the CCP is bullying pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.
On Tuesday evening, Hong Kong police arrested 53 pro-democracy activists during a protest marking a year of pro-democracy rallies.
"We've been in this constant terror of being arrested."
LOOK BACK: Meet Rachel, one of the many faceless protesters in Hong Kong on the 1-year anniversary of the demonstrations sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill #香港 pic.twitter.com/omeob6MuM4
— Bloomberg Originals (@bbgoriginals) June 9, 2020
Just last month, the CCP staged a coup of the Hong Kong legislature and kicked out pro-democracy legislators in order to vote for a new chair of a committee and pass controversial “national security” legislation that critics say would target pro-democracy activists.
ClashDaily covered that here:
- China Stages Coup In Hong Kong–Pro-Democracy Politicians Are Physically Removed From Legislature (VIDEO)
- China Moves On Hong Kong, Effectively Overturns ‘One Country, Two Systems’
Reuters reports:
Police said on Wednesday that 36 males and 17 females were arrested for offences including unlawful assembly and participating in unauthorised assembly. Protesters had defied a ban on gatherings of more than eight people introduced by the Hong Kong government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
VIDEO: 🇭🇰 A young woman is arrested by police in Hong Kong as protesters marked a year since the start of the pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous city #HongKongProtest pic.twitter.com/ayYFGjdtEb
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 9, 2020
Hong Kong Security Secretary John Lee told the South China Morning Post in an interview published on Wednesday that local police were setting up a dedicated unit to enforce the law and it would have intelligence gathering, investigation and training capabilities.
Companies including HSBC (HSBA.L) and Standard Chartered (STAN.L) have backed the security law without knowing the details of it, drawing criticism from some investors and U.S. and British officials.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo singled out HSBC on Tuesday, saying such “corporate kowtows” got little in return from Beijing and criticising the Chinese Communist Party’s “coercive bullying tactics.”
Hong Kong’s year of pro-democracy protests was sparked by a government bill that would have allowed people to be extradited to mainland China, where courts are controlled by the Communist Party, for trial.
Source: Reuters
China has an atrocious record on human rights, and they’re now cracking down on the former British colony.
Since the coronavirus outbreak, China has been flexing its power over Hong Kong, Taiwan, and getting aggressive with India.
We need to pay attention to the ways that China is taking opportunities to push their agenda and flex their muscle while the world is still distracted by the virus that they allowed to become a global pandemic.
