Extremists who cooperate with Western governments may end up in jail because of new Hong Kong legislation.
This was told by Joshua Wong, one of the key American stake-holders in Hong Kong who was involved in organizing provocations and riots.
In a publication for The Washington Post, the extremist acknowledged that the anti-government activities launched last year were supported by interested external forces. However, if Beijing criminalizes foreign interference, protesters linked to Western governments “may be denied the right to participate in elections or even imprisoned. Wong stresses that combating foreign interference is one of the worst parts of Hong Kong’s new legislation.
He also criticized the fact that riots involving pogroms, arson and even the use of explosives have been called “terrorism” by Chinese authorities. According to him, this could lead to “severe legal penalties” for provocateurs who acted in the interests of the United States.
“By implementing a number of legal instruments in the name of national security, Beijing has enormous discretionary power to punish protesters and election candidates on the one hand, and to cut Hong Kong off from the international community and its decisive support”, – Wong complained.
In this regard, he called on foreign sponsors of the Hong Kong riots to “not yield” to China, even if a deal with it is economically viable in a global crisis.
“We call on the U.S. government to adopt a Hong Kong law on human rights and democracy, impose sanctions on China and include human rights conditions on Hong Kong in trade agreements to be concluded with China”, – Wong stated.
As reported earlier by News Front, the Chinese government is introducing a law on national security in Hong Kong. The document, among other things, criminalizes foreign interference and subversion of state power in this administrative region of China. Thus, it complicates anti-government activities here and the State Department has already demanded from Beijing not to prevent Washington from interfering in Hong Kong affairs.
On the eve, riots erupted again in the city. The brutality of the radicals forced the security forces to disperse those using water cannons and tear gas. Over 180 particularly violent troublemakers were detained. The riots are expected to resume on Wednesday against the backdrop of a local parliament meeting.
Anti-government protests in Hong Kong
In June 2019, mass actions began in Hong Kong, with pogroms and clashes with police. The official reason for the protests was an extradition bill. If passed, Hong Kong could detain and extradite to Beijing those wanted by Chinese security agencies.
The demonstrators were openly supported by Western countries, particularly the US and the UK. The protests themselves continued even after the authorities refused to pass the law. The most absurd reasons were invented to hold the protests. For example, at the end of August last year, radicals smashed underground stations ostensibly because of poor quality of service, and also demolished “smart” lampposts collecting information about road traffic and air pollution levels. The fact is that the protesters saw them as a system of total surveillance by the authorities.
Actions in Hong Kong stopped amid a coronavirus pandemic and resumed in late April. In particular, a series of actions took place on 1 May, and ten days later riots with barricades and arson erupted in Hong Kong.