Hong Kong police fired water cannon on Wednesday to break up the first protest since Beijing introduced sweeping new security legislation. Police authorities also made their first arrests under it, warning of punishment for advocating secession or subversion, Reuters reported.
This week Beijing unveiled the details of the much-anticipated law after weeks of uncertainty, pushing China’s freest city and one of the world’s most glittering financial hubs onto a more authoritarian path.
Thousands of protesters gathered downtown for an annual rally marking the anniversary of the former British colony’s handover to China in 1997, clashing with riot police, who used pepper spray to make arrests, while shops and one metro station closed.
Police fired water cannon to chase the protesters away and later said they had made 30 arrests for illegal assembly, obstruction, possession of weapons and violating the new law. Earlier, police cited the law for the first time in confronting protesters.
“You are displaying flags or banners/chanting slogans/or conducting yourselves with an intent such as secession or subversion, which may constitute offences under the … national security law,” police said in a message displayed on a purple banner.
The new law will punish crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison and officially set up mainland security agencies in Hong Kong for the first time, with powers beyond city laws, Reuters added.
China’s parliament adopted it in response to months of pro-democracy protests last year triggered by fears that Beijing was stifling the city’s freedoms, guaranteed by a “one country, two systems” formula agreed when it returned to Chinese rule.
Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have repeatedly noted the legislation is aimed at a few “troublemakers” and will not affect rights and freedoms, nor investor interests.
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