Lawmakers will carry out a second reading of the national anthem bill, which penalises anyone for misusing or insulting March of the Volunteers with a fine of up to HK$50,000 (US$6,450) and three years in prison.

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Tear gas fired as thousands protest Beijing’s planned national security law for Hong Kong

Tear gas fired as thousands protest Beijing’s planned national security law for Hong Kong

Protesters are being urged on social media to surround Legco and disrupt proceedings in a way similar to June 12 last year, when tens of thousands of demonstrators brought the second reading of the government’s failed extradition bill to a halt.

On that day, tens of thousands of people occupied roads outside Legco and clashed with police, forcing the cancellation of the meeting. Later protests morphed into a citywide movement against the government calling for the bill to be scrapped and universal suffrage adopted, among other demands.

On the Telegram messaging app, motorists are being encouraged to stage a slow-drive protest along major roads on Hong Kong Island and the three cross-harbour tunnels to create traffic jams and delay police reinforcement efforts between 6.30am and 11.30am on Wednesday.

But users of the Reddit-like forum LIHKG are discussing whether people should continue to take to the streets given the risk of arrest.

Police force insiders said two water cannons would be stationed at government headquarters in Admiralty and near Beijing’s liaison office in Sai Ying Pun. Several tow trucks would be placed on standby along major roads from dawn and any vehicles that joined the slow-drive protest immediately hauled away, one source said.

The force would take an “early intervention” strategy to prevent large crowds from gathering, and the number of police deployed would be higher than on Sunday, when more than 2,000 officers were mobilised, another source said.

“Those who refuse to leave after warnings will be fined under social-distancing laws and arrested for unauthorised assembly,” the insider said.

But opposition politicians said they did not expect to see a repeat of the June protest. Council Front lawmaker Eddie Chu Hoi-dick said his camp would likely focus on protesting against the anthem bill from inside Legco.

“One can foresee that the police will try to stop scenes like June 12 last year by limiting access to the area. So I think it would be dangerous for the public to come to Legco,” Chu said.

Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai said his allies would follow the public’s lead but did not detail their plans. “I think public opinion is clear on Beijing’s high-pressure tactics,” Wu said. “You can see people’s reaction has been huge and is not affected by the pandemic or the government’s public gathering ban.”

Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, the vice-chairman of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said he was “preparing for the worst”.

Amid the chaos last June, some pro-government lawmakers had tried to get inside the legislature with the help of police but were unsuccessful. Cheung said he would try to arrive at the Tamar complex earlier on Wednesday, noting lawmakers could not stay overnight due to pandemic-control measures.

Legco’s secretariat said it would make the necessary security arrangements, which would depend on the situation.

Dozens of people gathered inside IFC Mall in Central on Monday night to build support for the Wednesday action, with some chanting pro-independence slogans, such as “Hongkongers, build a nation”. The crowd sang Glory to Hong Kong, the anthem of the anti-government movement and a flier urging American troops to “land in Hong Kong” was distributed.

A young man in his 20s, surnamed Shum, said protesters were caught in a difficult position. “On one hand the government wants people to be scared and not come out to the streets,” he said. “But if you come out, they use the so-called disturbance to justify putting in the national security law.”

Shum conceded the continued opposition might not push the government to address their demands, but he said he would not give up. “I don’t see any hope, but I will continue to participate.”

Some 193 people, aged between 12 and 72, were arrested on Sunday, mostly for unauthorised assembly and taking part in riots, police said. Protesters blocked roads in Causeway Bay, vandalised traffic lights and injured officers and bystanders expressing different political views, they said.

A spokesman for the central government’s liaison office condemned the protest, saying it “seriously undermined the safety of the public’s life and property and their legal rights” and “threatened national security”.

“The illegal acts of the rioters has exposed the true face of them colluding with foreign forces to create terror and provoke Hong Kong independence to force Hong Kong to ‘burn with them’,” he said in a statement

The incident showed why a national security law was needed in Hong Kong. There were signs radical elements were planning a larger illegal and violent action, he said, and warned them and the forces behind them not to underestimate the determination of the central government in safeguarding national security and sovereignty.