Authorities in Hong Kong are accused of discouraging activists from participating in the Women's March
Police in Hong Kong forbid protestors from taking part in the women's march
The national security police allegedly blocked protestors from taking part in a highly anticipated gathering that the organizer unexpectedly canceled, according to a Hong Kong pro-democracy organization.
Authorities in Hong Kong have been charged with preventing activists from participating in a much-anticipated rally that the organizer abruptly called off.
The event was organized by the Hong Kong Women Workers'
Association to promote gender equality, labor rights, and women's rights. This
would have been the first significant civil rights demonstration permitted by
the police in three years and the first following the removal of key COVID-19
limitations, such as the requirement to wear a mask.
The League of Social Democrats, a pro-democracy
organization in Hong Kong, said that national security officers prevented
activists from joining the rally, interrogated four of its members, and issued
them with warnings not to take part. Despite expressing indignation with the
police's intimidation and obstruction, the group finally opted not to
participate in the demonstration.
The Associated Press emailed the police in response, and
they stated that they handle any issue "in line with the real scenario and
the law." Why the cops prevented the activists from participating in the
rally is unclear.
Without giving a reason, the women's group posted on
Facebook on Saturday night that it had sadly chosen to cancel the march. Acting
Senior Superintendent Dennis Cheng stated in a press conference that the
organizer had informed them that they would cancel the march after assessing
the benefits and drawbacks. This was thirty minutes later.
Without naming the violent organizations, Cheng urged the
people against participating and said they planned to join the
demonstration. After the invalidation of the police letter of authorization for
the rally, the government issued a warning to anybody planning to
congregate on Sunday that they would be regarded to be participating in an
illegal gathering.
The political, social, and financial institutions of Hong
Kong were guaranteed certain freedoms when Britain handed over control of the
territory to China in 1997. Premier Li Keqiang said that China had made new
strides in its efforts to resolve the Hong Kong issue and that it now has
complete control over the southern metropolis.
Major demonstrations were uncommon during the pandemic
thanks to anti-virus measures. Following significant demonstrations in 2019,
China's central government enacted a broad national security law, which has
resulted in the silencing or imprisonment of several activists.
Another illustration of the continued hostilities between
Hong Kong and China is the cancellation of this scheduled rally. Critics
contend that Hong Kong's civil freedoms are being reduced as a result of
Chinese control, despite the police's claim that they carry out their
operations in compliance with the law.
