Chinese officials insist the draconian national-security law, introduced in 2020, has helped to achieve a “transition from chaos to order”. But they increasingly warn of “soft resistance”, too
on the territory to prevent further protests. Officials say this has helped: Hong Kong has achieved a “major transition from chaos to order”, they insist. But even after thousands of arrests and numerous trials, both under the new law and dredged-up statutes from the colonial era, the authorities are twitchy. Increasingly, they warn of “soft resistance” that could trigger fresh unrest. A new phase may be unfolding in Hong Kong’s war on dissent.
On July 28th Hong Kong’s High Court rejected a government request to ban a protest song that was beloved of demonstrators in 2019, saying an injunction could undermine “freedom of expression”. Such a ruling would be unthinkable on the mainland. Equally unimaginable would be the kind of access given to the public to observe Hong Kong’s national-security trials. They are grim, juryless spectacles, but local media give accounts of proceedings.
In recent months officials in Hong Kong have picked up on the theme. Their strident tones on the subject suggest a push from Beijing. “Various acts of soft resistance continue to occur and spread through online media, cultural and artistic channels,” said John Lee, the territory’s chief executive, in June. “These latent forces could erupt at any time, endangering national security and disrupting social peace.
Leticia Wong is someone in their sights. She runs a small bookshop called Hunter in Sham Shui Po, one of Hong Kong’s poorer neighbourhoods and a magnet for young, upwardly mobile people in search of cheap accommodation. Ms Wong, who is 30, resigned from her elected post on a local council in 2021 after the government required every public-office holder to swear an oath of loyalty to the People’s Republic. She believed she would be disqualified for being insincere.
But Ms Wong is pessimistic. “I don’t think they are smart enough to leave some room for Hong Kong people like me,” she says. On Facebook, Ms Wong hinted at the political pressures she faces. She said she thought her bookshop would not survive to put on another fair next year.The soft-resistance label is being attached even to people who are far removed from the front lines of dissent.
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