HK to Crackdown on "Soft Resistance"

Patriotism is a sign of agreement with Beijing

The Chinese Communist Party is determined to win at all costs.

After implementing the national security law in July 2020, Beijing thought it would defeat all dissent in Hong Kong following the 2019 protests.

However, people have found ways to continue their "soft resistance" in various ways, such as patronising the "yellow economic circle", refusing to sing the Chinese national anthem, not registering for organ donation because of its mainland links, and openly jeering at mainlanders in the city.

There is word Beijing is not pleased and wants to continue further repressing Hongkongers who refuse to bend in the CPC way.

Tang says soft resistance will be tackled

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on July 25 that "soft resistance" must be tackled, and even hinted that some media, and people in arts and culture may be culprits of this soft resistance.

Earlier this month on July 3, Tang told Ta Kung Pao newspaper that Article 23 will include provisions to deal with "soft resistance", as he believed discussion about this would radicalise people... There are plans to pass Article 23 next year. 

Readers may remember the Hong Kong government under then chief executive Tung Chee-hwa tried to pass this legislation in 2003, but a mass street protest resulted in it being shelved -- until now.

There is the constant comparison that other countries like the United States and Canada have national security laws too, but these democratic countries do not weaponise it like Hong Kong and China.

So far 270 people have been arrested on national security charges in Hong Kong since mid 2020, around 70 have been tried in court, and all of them found guilty, says former lawmaker and journalist Emily Lau Wai-hing.

"This is a 100 percent conviction rate. I'm not casting aspersions on anybody," she said.

However, pro-Beijing senior counsel Ronny Tong Ka-wah claims the city continues to uphold free speech, saying: "Rest assured you can say anything you like in Hong Kong."

Lau says NSL has 100 percent conviction rate

Hard to believe Tong, previously a democrat who co-founded the Civic Party before doing a 180-degree turn towards Beijing.

In any event, there are concerns that the existence of "soft resistance" in Hong Kong gives Beijing a mandate for further repression in the city in a bid to extract complete submission.

"It's almost as if the government is saying the word 'patriot' is code for you agree with us. If you agree with us, then you can be in the district council, you can be in LegCo, you can be in the election committee and all these things. But if you don't agree with us, then you're resisting," says John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.

The people who are left in Hong Kong are seeing their space for resistance quickly diminishing... how much longer can they keep going?