Due to the growing political pressure from Beijing, frustrated by last year's mass demonstrations, the authorities in Hong Kong are announcing stricter reforms of legislation and the education system, which has forced pro-democracy activists to express their dissatisfaction with street protests, announcing larger gatherings in the coming days, with the first easing of restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. for months, the world media write.
A series of anniversaries of mass protests
Although Beijing is trying to use the world's attention focused on the fight against the pandemic to strengthen its control over Hong Kong, it seems that new protests are inevitable, indicates the Wall Street Journal (The Wall Street Journal), pointing out that the reasons for the launch could be the national anthem law and the law on state security that Beijing has been insisting on for a long time.
China's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office last week called the protest movement a "political virus in Hong Kong" and warned that Beijing would not stand by "those mindless forces". Then, the paper points out, on Friday, May 8, pro-democracy and pro-Beijing representatives physically clashed in the Legislative Council building over who will lead the legislative committee that should consider a bill that would criminalize disobeying the Chinese national anthem. In the end, the Wall Street Journal adds, pro-democracy parliamentarians were thrown out of the building, and one of them was carried out on a stretcher.
The alarm that the residents of Hong Kong are under greater legal danger was increased last month by the arrests of several dozen activists, including Martin Lee, the leader of the Hong Kong democracy movement. The preliminary hearing of those arrested is scheduled for May 18, and they face charges of organizing and participating in last year's protests and may be sentenced to a year in prison.
Beijing continues to blame Hong Kong residents for political instability and economic damage, but, the Wall Street Journal concludes, China's reckless assault on Hong Kong's freedom and legal autonomy guarantees that resistance will continue. Police may use the coronavirus as an excuse to deny Hong Kong residents permits to hold their annual Tiananmen Square massacre commemoration rally on June 4, and starting June 10 protesters will mark a series of landmark anniversaries of several major protests.
Preference to the Chinese National Anthem Law
A few days after pro-Beijing lawmaker Steri Li seized control of the legislative committee of the city's parliament, the Hong Kong government has decided to give "priority" to a controversial bill that seeks to punish the abuse of China's national anthem, The Associated Press reported.
Under the draft law, those who use the anthem for commercial purposes or publicly and intentionally insult the anthem, such as chanting during football matches, could face fines of up to 50.000 Hong Kong dollars ($6.450) and up to three years in prison.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the chief secretary and other officials had written to Sterry Lee, who chairs the Legislative Council committee that reviews draft laws and decides when they will be sent to a final vote, to consult with her about continuing the second readings. "The two laws - the national anthem law and the patent law have been delayed for a long time. We expect them to be given priority in the continuation of the second reading in the Legislative Council," Lam told reporters.
The AP notes that the anthem law was first proposed in January last year after crowds in Hong Kong protested the performance of China's national anthem at several high-profile international soccer matches in 2015.
Anti-Chinese sentiment in Hong Kong has been on the rise since the "Umbrella Revolution" in 2014, when the Chinese government interfered in the selection of candidates for the city's leadership, which was interpreted as limiting Hong Kong's democracy and violating the "one country, two systems" framework.
The politics of division
By deciding to prioritize the controversial Chinese national anthem bill in the city's legislature and announcing school curriculum reforms that would encourage "national identity," Hong Kong's chief executive is contributing to widening political divisions that could fuel new protests against China's influence in the city, Bloomberg estimates. ).
Carrie Lam, whose government punished teachers for taking part in last year's protests, said she was awaiting a report from a task force on education reforms. "It is time for a comprehensive review," Lam said ahead of a meeting of her advisory Executive Council. Bloomberg notes that previous statements by politicians that Hong Kong students are not patriotic enough have fueled concerns among activists that the government could retool the school's curriculum to be more pro-China.
Hong Kong's historic protest movement was launched last June following the announcement of a bill that would allow suspects to be extradited to mainland China. Now many pro-democracy activists are angry about recent statements by the head of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory about the need to pass a law that would punish insulting the Chinese national anthem, as well as the controversial state security law that sparked a previous round of mass protests in 2003.
At the same time, Hong Kong's government is trying to return the city to normalcy as it struggles with a deep recession caused by six months of protests before the pandemic. At the end of last week, the restrictions on public gatherings introduced in January were relaxed - the number of people allowed to gather was increased from four to eight.
Crowds were already noticed in the central areas of the city over the weekend, but protesters - whose demands for general elections last year were never fulfilled - are renewing their movement, and the first protests began last weekend, Bloomberg emphasizes, adding that 230 people were arrested on Sunday for illegal assembly - the most detained in one day since last year's protests.
Criticism of the education system
Carrie Lam announced reforms to the education system, saying that the school's liberal studies program helped fuel last year's protests, the British Guardian (The Guardian) wrote, pointing out that Lam as a leader has record low support and is under increasing pressure from the authorities in Beijing.
Her announcement followed sharp interventions by the police at several scattered protests in the city at the beginning of May, in which at least 18 people were injured, over 200 people were arrested, while journalists were searched and attacked, including two minor journalism students.
Lam described the current high school program as a "roofless chicken coop" and said her government would soon reveal plans for reform. Allegedly, the Guardian points out, she said that students need protection from "poisoning" and giving "false and biased information". In an interview with the pro-government newspaper Ta Kung Pao, Lam said the issue of liberal studies "will definitely be clarified this year."
The Guardian adds that the weekend protests were organized after a committee meeting in Hong Kong's Legislative Council turned violent on Friday, drawing groups mainly to shopping malls to chant slogans and sing. Demonstrators were met by a large contingent of police, and footage of the demonstration broadcast live on social media showed police brutality in a crowded mall that included children.
Pandemic prevention laws have also been used to issue fines for gatherings, the Guardian wrote, noting that since the protests began last June there have been growing concerns about police brutality and violations of the rules occurring without consequence, including the targeting of journalists.
Revival of the movement
Pro-democracy protests are returning to Hong Kong, Reuters points out, adding that arrests and clashes with protesters in the first half of May evoked memories of the sometimes violent unrest that rocked the world's financial center last year.
On Monday, May 11, the authorities announced that the police had arrested 230 people on Sunday for illegal assembly and violation of the restrictions introduced in the fight against the pandemic, and that the arrested persons were between the ages of 12 and 65.
The novel coronavirus pandemic and strict rules to curb its spread have brought a relative lull in anti-government protests this year, but recent arrests of pro-democracy activists and renewed concerns over the tightening of Beijing's government have revived the movement.
Reuters adds that Hong Kong is bracing for protests over the next few months, with activists calling for two million people to march on July 1 to mark the anniversary of the city's handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
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