Hong Kong protests: radicalisation of youth to commit illegal acts ‘alarming’ since 2019 unrest, ex-leader CY Leung says
- Leung says deradicalisation of young people is a task for society as a whole, speaking at launch of a study he commissioned into youth attitudes
- ‘Why Radicalisation?’ explores the causes of young people being influenced to engage in criminality, calls for more political platforms for youth
Former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying has warned of an “alarming” trend of young people being influenced to engage in unlawful acts since the 2019 anti-government protests, as he urged society to work together to deradicalise the city’s disaffected youth.
Speaking at the launch of a study he commissioned on the issue, Leung on Wednesday also said that Hong Kong was not alone in facing the spread of radicalism, with foreign countries also cracking down on the terrorism threat.
“Radicalisation is not a situation unique in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong has no immunity to it,” said Leung, now a vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s top advisory body.
“The radicalisation among Hong Kong youngsters is alarming since the social unrest. Society should focus on preventing this from worsening and how to deradicalise them.”
Leung was referring to months of anti-government protests triggered in June 2019 by the later-withdrawn extradition bill.