Hundreds take to streets calling for freedom of association after government seeks ban of Hong Kong independence party
Participants blew black whistles and warned ban would pave way for a return of national security legislation under Article 23 of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong on Saturday, accusing the government of “foul play” for seeking to ban a political party over its independence agenda.
While most pro-democracy groups did not condone calls for independence by the Hong Kong National Party (HKNP), they joined the march in defence of freedom of association and speech after police branded the party an “imminent threat” to national security and public safety under the Societies Ordinance.
Participants blew black whistles, a reference to a Cantonese idiom for bending the rules, and warned the ban would pave the way for a return of national security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.
Hong Kong is constitutionally obliged to enact the controversial legislation, although the government’s previous attempt to introduce it in 2003 was shelved after half a million people took to the streets in protest.
“Hong Kong independence is a non-issue,” Civic Party chairman and former opposition lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit said. “All the government is trying to do is to create favourable conditions for Basic Law Article 23 legislation.”