201
PolyU Students' Union says university management has covered PolyU's democracy wall with black paper & notices stating they "won't allow materials supporting HK independence". Worrying times for freedom of expression on campus, but good to see the SU taking a stand. Pics: HKPUSU
202
Great @WSJ report by @JillianKayM charting Beijing's efforts to imprison & bankrupt prominent pro-democracy activist & owner of the iconic Apple Daily @JimmyLaiApple.
Per @HKMarkSimon, AD's been cut out of 65% of HK's ad market due to political pressure.
wsj.com/articles/the-p…
203
A former police officer was detained for a short time before being released for shouting “long live Liverpool!" earlier, celebrating their league title win.
As an Everton fan I believe this was justified action by the police. Support HK Police. Love the motherland. Love HK. 🇨🇳
204
Protestors are gathering across HK to mark police initiating the violence on 612 last year. Protests all banned so an ‘exhibition of resistance’ is underway; organisers calling for HKers to ‘遍地開花’ — ‘blossom everywhere’.
Lots of undercover police so be careful if you’re out.
205
British HK Police officer Rupert Dover has casually admitted to the SCMP that he gave the order to use force & fire tear gas that started this entire saga on 612. Extraordinary.
A sell-out who betrayed the U.K. & turned enforcer for a brutal dictatorship.
scmp.com/news/hong-kong…
206
Breaking: Statement from foreign ministers of Five Eyes (🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦🇦🇺🇳🇿) on the disqualification of the 4 pro-democracy legislators; says DQ “part of a concerted campaign to silence all critical voices following the postponement of September’s LegCo elections” gov.uk/government/new…
207
Lee Cheuk-Yan (李卓人), former chair of the group that organises HK's annual Tiananmen vigil, has called on HKers to light candles across HK on the night of 6.4 after the HK government announced a de facto ban on the event. Could be a brilliant upstaging. news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/compon…
208
Pretty incredible: Kazuo Shii, chairman of the Japanese Communist Party (4th largest political party in Japan), has savaged plans for draconian national security laws in HK & called for them to be dropped.
Shows the ideological diversity in the worldwide condemnation of Beijing. twitter.com/shiikazuo/stat…
209
BNO UPDATE:
Per @HugoGye: Home Office appears to confirm that if HK security law passes, *all* 2.9m BNO’s in HK will be able to come to UK whether or not they *currently* hold a BNO passport.
Same reasoning would apply to further concessions. Result.
homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/05/29/med…
210
Apple Daily reports well-known activist Grandma Wong, recently released after more than a year in detention in mainland China, was arrested (in HK) on Friday & charged with assault. Court appearance was due today, but delayed as Wong has been hospitalised. hk.appledaily.com/local/20201121…
211
Today’s @AppleDaily_HK leads with a showcase of horrific incidents of police brutality that were captured by media outlets that won’t be recognised under new Police General Orders - a de facto police-imposed press accreditation system. Press freedom in HK withers away yet further
212
SCMP reports Beijing is mulling scrapping all 117 seats set to be filled by overwhelmingly pro-democracy district councillors in the election committee that selects Hong Kong’s chief executive, in an effort to crush their influence on the 2022 CE election. scmp.com/news/hong-kong…
213
As the proposed national anthem law comes before LegCo tomorrow, Hong Kong is braced for what will likely be another attempt to occupy the chamber. Police have blocked off LegCo already & the HK Confederation of Trade Unions has also called for a last-minute general strike.
214
Today’s @AppleDaily_HK runs with leading HK academics warning the National Security Law threatens free speech, intellectual & academic freedoms, as universities are subject to many of its provisions.
Meanwhile CE Carrie Lam is claiming the Law can “get HK back on track”... lol
215
Graphic photos emerging of a journalist who was pepper sprayed by the police next to the Percival Street flyover. Police routinely pepper spray journalists, bystanders and protestors indiscriminately. Pic: HKBU
216
HK01 reporting the NPC will announce on Saturday the disqualification of around 100 pro-democracy district councillors over breaching their oaths of office. The vacant seats will be filled by appointment, ensuring the councils return to pro-Beijing control.hk01.com/%E6%94%BF%E6%8…
217
Police clad in full riot gear have entered Taikoo’s Cityplaza as crowds gathered for one of the first pro-democracy singing meets in months. People have been told to disperse & bystanders led away by riot police, with reports of intimidating behaviour on Telegram (Pics: 立場新聞)
218
Big statement from the Foreign Secretary on the disqualification of pro-democracy legislators. The new claim that the UK will “hold China to the obligations it freely assumed under international law” strongly implies the UK will pursue breaches of the JD in international courts. twitter.com/DominicRaab/st…
219
If you've developed a sudden urge to contract ear cancer, rabidly pro-🇨🇳 legislator Junius Ho (何君堯) has produced a horrific 'song' praising the proposed HK National Security Law for us to, um, enjoy.
It really is positively tumorous. 願榮光歸香港/Glory to Hong Kong it is not.
220
As the U.S. election rumbles on & on, a reminder that this week the HK Police have launched a Stasi-style national security hotline for people to snitch on their fellow citizens — & claim they’ve received 2,500 tips already.
My latest for @AppleDaily_HK: hk.appledaily.com/opinion/202011…
221
Well over half of British voters (56%) support giving BNO passport holders from HK the right to live & work in the UK with a pathway to citizenship, with just 12% opposed. Support across parties too - Tory voters 57%, Labour 57%, Lib Dems 65%.
Fantastic.
redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/widespread-sup…
222
Chinese factories that supply Apple and Nike and make products sold in the U.S. phased out thousands of workers from Xinjiang as Western governments push multinationals to eliminate forced labor from their supply chains in China - WSJ
Sanctions work.
wsj.com/articles/chine…
223
Also for some background, I did some homework on Dover & the other remaining expat cops in the HKPF (all now high-ranking) last year - see the thread below; a piece I did for @ForeignPolicy & @philipsherwell's ST piece (all ⬇️) for more. Anyway...
twitter.com/JackHHazlewood…
224
In addition to acquiescing to brutal arrests by undercover police & the pepper spraying of journalists, New Town Plaza’s management has handed out notices to peaceful protestors threatening legal action for “posting of posters or stickers”. H/t: @DCheng36387164, 📸: Stand News. twitter.com/JackHHazlewood…
225
After reports Beijing intends to disqualify 4 sitting pro-democracy legislators (Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki & Kenneth Leung) at this weeks NPCSC, HK01 reports democrats are considering going back on plans to remain in LegCo & resign en masse. hk01.com/%E6%94%BF%E6%8…
前蘋果日報專欄作家. Words/investigations @TheSundayTimes @Telegraph @TheEconomist @ForeignPolicy @Australian etc, docs @PopularFront_