Eight people were arrested in Hong Kong during a protest in which demonstrators silently held blank signs to protest China’s new “national security” law for the territory.
Police entered a Hong Kong mall on Monday in riot gear, with one officer holding up a purple banner that read, “This is a police warning. You are displaying flags or banners/chanting slogans/or conducting yourselves with an intent such as secession or subversion, which may constitute offenses under the [Hong Kong Special Administrative Region] National Security Law.”
The Hong Kong police reported that the eight protesters were arrested under suspicion of taking part in unauthorized assembly and obstructing the police. Neither of those offenses have been clearly criminalized under the new law but come with penalties under existing statutes.
“Crowds gathered and shouted in a shopping mall on Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, breaching public peace. Police hence entered the mall to maintain order, gave repeated warnings to the crowd and requested them to leave immediately. However, some protesters refused to follow Police’s instructions and continued to assemble and shout,” said Hong Kong’s police force.
A journalist from AFP reported that the crowd was silent before police arrived. As police began to enter the building, however, loud shouts from protesters could be heard in footage of the confrontation.
Loud boo as police retreat in APM mall in Kwun Tong pic.twitter.com/tnT3iwIjzy
— Xinqi Su 蘇昕琪 (@XinqiSu) July 6, 2020
What the silent white paper protest in Kwun Tong was like before riot police came. pic.twitter.com/NDIkisBMrz
— Xinqi Su 蘇昕琪 (@XinqiSu) July 6, 2020
Three women and one man, including the auntie who lied on the floor earlier, were taken away by riot police from APM mall Kwun Tong. pic.twitter.com/heBRi4GSVs
— Xinqi Su 蘇昕琪 (@XinqiSu) July 6, 2020
China’s new law removes many freedoms the territory had retained. By vaguely criminalizing acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, China is able to prosecute almost any action that presents a challenge to the government’s authority.
Anyone displaying messages advocating for Hong Kong’s independence can be arrested and potentially face years in prison, hence the blank signs.
