• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Sunday, June 4, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home World

Hundreds Protest in Hong Kong Against Attempt to Ban Pro-Independence Party

Staff Writer by Staff Writer
07/21/18
in World
Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong

Pro-democracy lawmaker Au Nok-hin (fourth from left), former lawmakers and pro-democracy activists Lee Cheuk-yan (fifth from left) and Leung Kwok-hung (sixth), also known as 'Long Hair', attend a protest against the Hong Kong police seeking a ban on the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party, outside the police headquarters in Hong Kong on July 18. Photo: AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Hundreds of people protested Saturday in Hong Kong after police sought to ban a pro-independence political party, as Beijing ups pressure on challengers to its territorial sovereignty over the city.

Authorities said the Hong Kong National Party (HKNP), a well-known but small group with a core membership of around a dozen, is a potential threat to national security and public safety.

Around 500 protesters from different pro-democracy parties gathered in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district for a march organised by the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), a group that does not support independence.

They included around 50 supporters of pro-independence groups, who waved flags and banners — including one that read “only two countries have two systems”, a reference to the “one country, two systems” arrangement under which Hong Kong is currently governed.

In full: https://t.co/waA7mJE5wJ The 700-page #HongKong police dossier detailing the words and movements of the pro-independence @hknationalparty chief. pic.twitter.com/DsYUCeGVj9

— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) July 21, 2018

“No matter what political ideology you have, we need to protect our freedom of speech and freedom of association,” said Chung Hon Lam, high school student and convenor of pro-independence group Studentlocalism.

Lam accused the government of using “national security” as an excuse to target pro-independence parties, and warned it other pro-democracy parties could be targeted too.

The protest came after John Lee, Hong Kong’s secretary for security, said he was considering a police request to ban the HKNP.

Lee did not elaborate how the party was damaging national security, but said under the city’s laws, national security includes safeguarding the “territorial integrity and the independence of the People’s Republic of China”.

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland, which are protected by the 50-year handover agreement between Britain and China.

But fears are growing that Beijing is trampling the deal. It is the first time such a ban has been sought since Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, and is the latest move to stifle any calls for independence, which have infuriated Beijing.

Britain has voiced concerns over the suppression of political activity in the city.

“The UK does not support Hong Kong independence, but Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, and its rights and freedoms, are central to its way of life, and it is important they are fully respected,” the British foreign office said in a statement on Wednesday.

China Slams UK Over Warnings on Hong Kong Liberties

Share3Tweet
Staff Writer

Staff Writer

AFP with The Globe Post

Related Posts

A man holds US, Taiwan flags
Business

US and Taiwan Ink Trade Deal as China Issues Warning

by Staff Writer
June 2, 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping
Opinion

China’s Path to Economic Dominance

by Baptiste Monnet
March 15, 2023
An AFP journalist views an example of a "deepfake" video manipulated using artificial intelligence.
Featured

Deepfake ‘News Anchors’ in Pro-China Footage: Research

by Staff Writer
February 13, 2023
A woman undergoing COVID test in China
Featured

Soaring Covid Cases Shine Light on China’s Healthcare Gap

by Staff Writer
January 11, 2023
Members of the Muslim Uyghurs minority demonstrate
World

EU to Ban Products Made Using Forced Labor, Risking China Anger

by Staff Writer
September 14, 2022
China Uyghurs
World

US Says UN Report Shows Xinjiang ‘Genocide’ as China Irate

by Staff Writer
September 1, 2022
Next Post
A counter terrorism convoy in Iraq

Iraq Admits Holding 'Terrorism' Suspects for Months

White Helmets at work

Israel Evacuates 800 White Helmets to Jordan in Face of Syria Advance

Please login to join discussion

Recommended

A man holds US, Taiwan flags

US and Taiwan Ink Trade Deal as China Issues Warning

June 2, 2023
Migrants waiting at the Turkish border.

Beyond Numbers: Confronting Europe’s Broken Border System

May 30, 2023
A noose is seen on makeshift gallows as supporters of US President Donald Trump gather on the West side of the US Capitol in Washington DC on January 6, 2021

Militia Leader Gets 18 Years in Prison Over US Capitol Attack

May 26, 2023
Customers queue to enter a re-opened Zara clothes shop

EU Targets Fast Fashion in Push for Durable Goods

May 23, 2023
A billboard showing the debt limit is seen in Washington, D.C.

US Republicans Upbeat on Prospects for Debt Deal

May 19, 2023
Military hardware rolls through Dvortsovaya Square during a Victory Day military parade in central Saint Petersburg

Pressing Russia, US Shares Nuclear Warhead Data Under Treaty

May 16, 2023

Opinion

Migrants waiting at the Turkish border.

Beyond Numbers: Confronting Europe’s Broken Border System

May 30, 2023
A man holding a gun

The NRA’s Continuing Agenda of Fear

May 12, 2023
US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

A Supreme Folly 

April 24, 2023
Transgender Army veteran Tanya Walker speaks to protesters in Times Square near a military recruitment centre

Tennessee Is A Drag on the First Amendment

March 26, 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping

China’s Path to Economic Dominance

March 15, 2023
An earthquake survivor reacts as rescuers look for victims and other survivors in Hatay, a Turkish province where hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the earthquake

Heed the Call of Our Broken World

March 1, 2023
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post