On July 1, an 87-year-old senior was taken away by Hong Kong police officers for hanging a photo of Jesus Christ on his chest and holding a banner scripted with the slogans, “Abolish national security laws, implement human rights conventions, release political prisoners, and may God bless Hong Kong.”
July 1 marks the 26th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong’s sovereignty, and it is also the fourth consecutive year since 2020 that Hong Kong citizens have failed to apply or obtain permission to hold any mass parades.
At about 4:00 p.m. on July 1, 87-year-old “Uncle Ng” appeared in Causeway Bay. Ng said he had participated in the July 1 parade before, but with all political and civic groups falling by the wayside, no one has applied for permission to stage the parade anymore. He said, “I will definitely be arrested! But if I don’t come out, I feel uneasy. If I don’t dare to come out in such an environment, what’s the worth of me being a worshipper of God? All I need is the conscience that lets me feel better.”
One police officer walked forward to intercept Uncle Ng, escorted him outside the front of SOGO, and tied an orange ribbon to seal off that area. Dozens of policemen arrived at the scene to drive away the reporters. Surrounded by a number of police officers, Uncle Ng was taken to Causeway Bay MTR Station. According to Uncle Ng, the two police officers told him they were worried his slogans might have violated the National Security Law. If he wants to express his view, he can consult the police beforehand. Ng was allowed to leave.
At about 4:30 p.m., a 67-year-old woman was suspected of waving a flag in Queensway, Central. The police officer issued a verbal warning to her, and the woman was then allowed to leave. At around 5:15 p.m., the police received a report that two national flags with burn marks and a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) flag with “Black Heart Hospital” were found in the covered corridor on the first floor of Queensway in Central. The case was treated as an incident of “insulting the national flag.” The police said they were looking for an ethnic Chinese man, no one had been arrested at the time of publishing.
The police revealed that as of 9 p.m. on July 1, 14 men and one woman were intercepted in Wanchai District, aged between 17 and 87. Police issued verbal warnings to an 87-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman, “reminding them” not to “cause disturbance to social order” in public. All were then allowed to leave, and no arrests had been made.
On the eve of July 1, several pro-communist media and major shopping malls responded to a government’s call for the initiative to “maintain social stability.” They went viral on the internet, offering many consumer discounts to create a “harmonious” atmosphere.”
Victoria Park, in the past a popular assembly site of the 7-1 parade organized by the Civil Human Rights Front, was taken en totalité by one pro-communist organization, “Hong Kong Celebration Association,” to hold its own “celebration activities” such as promoting the Greater Bay Area and mainland tourism.
Entry into the park must first pass a security check. One online media reporter was stopped and searched by the police during his live broadcast. The police pointed out that during the live broadcast, he “made a detailed description of the appearance” of the people entering the venue, warning him that he might violate the “Public Order Ordinance” by disrupting social order. The said reporter was later released.
Since June 30, the police had deployed entire vigilance squadrons in Causeway Bay and the area around the Wanchai Convention and Exhibition Centre, with a large contingent of police patrolling around Victoria Park, and there were also police armored vehicles standing guard in Causeway Bay. From time to time, journalists and passers-by were stopped and searched. Trash bins in Wanchai and Causeway Bay were all taken away earlier. Sources said it was to prevent someone from placing explosives there.
High-Priority Network Monitoring
A source who did not want to be named revealed to the Epoch Times that the Security Bureau and the police have been exercising high-priority online monitoring of public opinions for one to two days before July 1. Prime targets under carpet surveillance include posts on social platforms and media reports, especially those that showed netizens were mobilizing any “street action.” The government will contact the respective social platform administrators and media leaders if needed. The government also deliberately arranged pro-government media to report positively about the July 1 events and avoid reporting anything negative.Hong Kong People Held Annual July 1 Protests Since 2003
Although July 1 is the day of Hong Kong’s handover of sovereignty, the Beijing authorities have always hoped to show a candid celebration atmosphere on this day. Over the years, pro-Communist groups have applied to stage a celebratory parade in the morning, but most of the time, it was scantily attended.On the contrary, since 2003, Hong Kong people have held protest marches on Hong Kong Island every year on this day, with participants ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. Various demands were raised during the parades, such as “objection to the enactment of Article 23 of the Basic Law” and “universal suffrage for elections of both the LegCo and the Chief Executive,” among others.
During the anti-extradition movement on July 1, 2019, the last time Hong Kong people were granted a “Letter of No Objection” by the police to hold a legal parade, the number of attendants reached 550,000.
For the CCP leaders who used to attend the official celebratory reception every year, it is utterly embarrassing that many more citizens express their dissatisfaction than those who celebrate.
On June 30, 2020, the CCP passed the “Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL),” which began to be implemented in Hong Kong. For the first time, the police banned the July 1 parade, but tens of thousands of citizens still took to the streets to participate in the spontaneous parade.
In August 2021, the organizer of the parade, the “Civil Human Rights Front,” announced its disbandment. Several groups, including the League of Social Democrats, TSW Connection, and the Save Lantau Alliance, had all applied to the police to hold a July 1 parade but were refused in all cases. On July 1, 2022, when Xi Jinping, leader of the CCP, visited Hong Kong, no individual or group applied to hold the July 1 parade.
On June 30, 2020, the CCP passed the “Hong Kong National Security Law,” which began to be implemented in Hong Kong. For the first time, the police banned the July 1 parade, but tens of thousands of citizens still took to the streets to participate in the spontaneous parade.
