Hong Kong police arrested at least 86 people on October 1 for allegedly participating in an unauthorized rally. Rally participants chanted pro-democracy slogans in the streets of Sogo Department Store in Causeway Bay and other locations. Hong Kong citizens responded to an online call to “shop with you” by taking to the streets to express their demand for democracy on the Chinese Communist Party’s National Day.
This was the first “National Day” since the Chinese Communist Party imposed the National Security Law in Hong Kong, and the police rejected almost all requests for rallies or marches. The Civil Human Rights Front, a Hong Kong-based pan-democratic organization that organizes rallies on this day every year, was also rejected by the police this year. The explanation provided by the police was the “restriction on gathering” that was in effect during the new coronavirus epidemic, i.e., the maximum number of people who could gather in the public gathering was four.
Hong Kong’s Security Bureau issued a warning on Wednesday (September 30) that anyone holding unauthorized rallies will face stiff penalties. Illegal gatherers face up to five years in prison, and rioters face up to 10 years in prison.
Hong Kong police said in a Facebook post that four district council members were among the 86 people arrested. The majority of those arrested are suspected of taking part in an “unauthorized assembly,” police said.
The Apple Daily reports that the four council members arrested are East District Councilor Lee Yu-sun, Central and Western District Councilor Leung Fong-wai, and Shatin District Councilors Lai Tsz-yan and Chan Wan-tong.
Hong Kong citizens showed up at the Causeway Bay shopping area at noon on October 1, with some shouting slogans such as “Disband the police” and “Restore Hong Kong, Time for Revolution”; others chanted “No National Day, only National Day! Banners such as “National Mourning” and “Release All Political Prisoners”. Others made the gesture of “five demands, one indispensable”.
Huang Zhifeng, former Secretary General of Public Opinion Hong Kong, posted pictures of Hong Kong citizens participating in the “Shop with You” event on October 1 on his Twitter account, as well as a picture of himself at the event. Huang Zhifeng tweeted the picture, “Shop, dine, protest silently on Beijing’s National Day. Despite strict police control of the most crowded areas of the city, the slogans are familiar.”
According to Hong Kong media reports, the Hong Kong police deployed no less than 6,000 officers on duty in various districts throughout the city on National Day, including observation points at high points. If an illegal assembly or other illegal activities are detected, measures can be taken in advance.
The Communist Party’s push for a Hong Kong version of the National Security Law took effect on June 30, a draconian law whose main purpose is to suppress public protests in Hong Kong. The National Security Law lists four major crimes: subversion of power, secession, terrorism, and collaboration with foreign powers. Each of these four crimes carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. People can be considered to have violated the National Security Law by holding marches, rallies, and speaking out against the government.
The implementation of the National Security Law has led to accusations from Western democracies that the law violates the freedoms of Hong Kong people under the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Some countries have suspended extradition laws with Hong Kong to protect Hong Kong people suspected of violating the law. On August 7, the United States announced sanctions against 11 Chinese and Hong Kong officials, accusing them of undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy and its people’s freedom of expression and assembly.
On the other hand, at a National Day reception on October 1, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said that under the new National Security Law, “national security is guaranteed and social stability is restored.” She also accused some foreign governments of holding “double standards” and made unfounded accusations against the authorities implementing the new law.
All but one of the 86 Hong Kong people arrested for participating in the October 1 protests have been released on bail, according to the latest news from the Hong Kong Apple Daily. The remaining one, who allegedly holds a Hong Kong identity card, speaks only English, and there were no police officers available to take statements in English at the police station. According to Apple Daily, the last person to remain in the police station will have to wait for an interpreter to take a statement before being released on bail.
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