National security law: Hong Kong schools remove books at risk of breaking Beijing-decreed legislation
- Librarians fearful of red lines take cautious approach to reviewing collections for possible violations of law, including even George Orwell’s Animal Farm
- Books penned by those arrested under security law and publications marked by state media seen as high-risk categories
In the absence of an official list of banned books, librarians fearful of crossing red lines told the Post they had adopted a more cautious approach to screening their collections.
Some report they are even questioning whether to take works such as George Orwell’s Animal Farm off the shelves for their portrayal of totalitarian regimes.
Books written by prominent opposition political figures arrested under the Beijing-decreed national security legislation and publications marked “controversial” by pro-Beijing media could be at risk, the librarians said.
At least one school has already removed the biography of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and another took down a historical account of Kuomintang soldiers defeated by the Communists seeking refuge in Hong Kong.
“As teacher-librarians, we would rather be more cautious,” said Susanna Lau Po-shan, who has held the role in several subsidised schools over the past two decades. “We would not want to give up our own safety amid controversies.”
Within days of the national security law taking effect in June last year, education officials were telling schools to get rid of reading material that could “possibly violate” the legislation, although no clear guidelines were provided.