14 votes

Hong Kong arrests of pro-democracy activists showcase shrinking tolerance for peaceful opposition

Posted by Kuromantis
Tags: hong kong, china, human rights, democracy, authoritarianism, national security law, activism
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/06/hong-kong-arrests-showcase-shrinking-tolerance-for-peaceful-opposition

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Title
In Hong Kong it now looks like opposition is against the law
Authors
Emma Graham-Harrison
Published
Jan 6 2021
Word count
896 words

4 comments

  1. [3]
    isvarahparamahkrsnah
    Link
    Okay! Let's face it: Hong Kong is on the road to becoming the New China. The citizens of Hong Kong have done everything they could to preserve their freedoms but things aren't getting any better....

    Okay!
    Let's face it: Hong Kong is on the road to becoming the New China.
    The citizens of Hong Kong have done everything they could to preserve their freedoms but things aren't getting any better.

    The rest of the world needs to step in, otherwise, concentration camps will be set up to educate the Hong Kong citizens on patriotism - as is happening to the Uyghurs in China for the last 4 years.

    Unless other nations unite to oppose China's dictatorship in Hong Kong, it's a lost cause.

    And remember this: if we do not speak for their freedom, one day, we might face the very same situation they are.

    5 votes
    1. tempestoftruth
      Link Parent
      Speaking up for the freedom of Hong Kongers is important, but it's also key to recognize how the region is caught between the interests of two much larger, stronger powers, China and the United...

      Speaking up for the freedom of Hong Kongers is important, but it's also key to recognize how the region is caught between the interests of two much larger, stronger powers, China and the United States. What Hong Kongers need is some kind of self-rule (not necessarily complete political independence), not foreign intervention that could lead to armed conflict that would devastate the population as the big geopolitical players use the area as a chess board.

      3 votes
    2. Amarok
      Link Parent
      Aren't there many people living in HK who are citizens of other countries? I know there was, anyway - those who were able have probably noped out by now. If the CCP starts jailing other countries'...

      Aren't there many people living in HK who are citizens of other countries? I know there was, anyway - those who were able have probably noped out by now. If the CCP starts jailing other countries' citizens, their governments will start getting involved. That's a big international no-no.

      1 vote
  2. Kuromantis
    Link
    On the list of "things that happened while we looked elsewhere":

    On the list of "things that happened while we looked elsewhere":

    Wednesday’s sweeping arrests of more than 50 pro-democracy activists, pollsters, politicians and fundraisers in Hong Kong seemed to all but criminalise opposition politics in the city.

    Those arrested face charges of subversion for their role in unofficial primary elections held last summer that aimed to maximise the pro-democracy bloc’s performance in elections to the city’s legislative council.

    “The plan of any opposition party is to win an election, [or] to be in a position for the government to negotiate with you; that is the virtue of democracy. So why it should be seen as a plot, as subversive? That’s beyond my comprehension, but that is the reality in Hong Kong,” said Prof Jean-Pierre Cabestan, professor at Hong Kong Baptist University. “Clearly we are moving towards a semi-authoritarian environment.”

    The long-shot goal of the loosely allied group who have been detained was to claim half the seats on the legislative body – despite an electoral process stacked against them by design – and to use that to block the government’s agenda and force the resignation of the city’s chief executive, Carrie Lam.

    The mass arrests showcased the Hong Kong authorities’ severely diminished tolerance for peaceful, political opposition in a city that just a year ago still enjoyed a limited form of autonomy.

    3 votes