HONG KONG-(MaraviPost)-Dozens of people have been arrested in Hong Kong, including a man carrying a pro-independence flag, after a new “anti-protest” law imposed by Beijing came into effect, officials say.
Police have used pepper spray to disperse some protesters gathered to mark 23 years since British rule ended.
According to BBC, The national security law targets secession, subversion and terrorism with punishments up to life in prison.
Critics say it stops some freedoms meant to be guaranteed by China.
Hong Kong’s sovereignty was handed back to China by Britain in 1997, under an agreement designed to protect certain freedoms for at least 50 years.
The annual pro-democracy march to mark the anniversary had been banned for the first time by authorities, who cited a bar on gatherings of more than 50 people because of Covid-19.
Police confronted a small group of demonstrators gathered in the city centre and at least 30 people were arrested for “unlawful assembly, violating the security law, obstructing police and possession of weapons”.
Those arrested included a man carrying a “Hong Kong Independence” flag – protesters have been warned certain slogans and banners might constitute serious crimes under the new law.
Earlier, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the city’s pro-Beijing leader, said the law would “restore stability” after widespread protests in 2019, saying: “The [new law] is considered the most important development in relations between the central government and Hong Kong since the handover.”
The legislation has been widely condemned by countries including the US and UK as well as human rights activists and groups. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “[China] promised 50 years of freedom to the Hong Kong people, and gave them only 23.”
But one Chinese official bristled at foreign critics, asking them: “What’s this got to do with you?”
“We Chinese will not be scared by anyone,” said Zhang Xiaming of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office of the State Council. “Gone are the days when we had to take cues from others.”