Law enforcement officials in Hong Kong have detained at least 120 people during protests against the Chinese parliament’s review of the national security bill in the special administrative region, according to the South China Morning Post.
According to the publication, as of 16.30 local time (11.30 Moscow time) 120 protesters were detained. Forty of them, allegedly, tried to build road barriers.
Earlier it was reported that on Sunday, several thousand people took to the streets in Causeway Bay with protests. After the warning, the police used tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Hong Kong’s National Security Bill is on the agenda of the All-China People’s Assembly (NPC) session, which opened Friday. The head of the Hong Kong administration, Carrie Lam, supported the consideration of the bill, saying that its adoption would not affect the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents.
As the South China Morning Post previously reported, a national security bill designed specifically for Hong Kong will ban subversive and separatist activities. According to the sources of the publication, the law provides for a ban on all types of incitement aimed at overthrowing the central government, as well as terrorism and outside interference. According to the source, the central government came to the conclusion that the Hong Kong Legislative Assembly is not able to pass a bill on national security, taking into account the political climate in the area, so the legislative initiative was submitted to the NPC.