The police chief has to ensure that public rallies will not violate national security or public safety, or the rights of those not participating in the rallies, Chief Executive John Lee has said.
Lee’s comments on Tuesday came after a number of protests took place over the past weeks, with demonstrators ordered to abide by strict conditions including wearing identity tags. Participants of some rallies were also barred from wearing face masks.
When asked how he would comment on recent protests, the chief executive said that the rallies in questions were orderly, safe, and lawful.
“Of course, when the Commissioner of Police makes the decision whether to issue a letter of no objection,” Lee said, referring to the approval needed for public processions, “he will make the decision based on the nature of the event, number of participants, time, and whether there would be risks.”
“When the Commissioner of Police makes the decision, he will also have to consider Hong Kong’s situation as a whole, including when in 2019, a lot of public events were hijacked to violate national security, public safety, and public order.”
Mass public processions became a rare sight in Hong Kong following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of the Beijing-imposed national security law.
The city’s first police-approved protest, meant to be take place in March to mark International Women’s Day, was cancelled by the organisers the night before. The police claimed that unnamed “violent groups” sought to attend the demonstration.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang said in January that no applications to hold public rallies were approved in the past three years due to “health concerns.”
Tang refuted criticism of the tag wearing requirement on Sunday, and said that critics comparing the identifiers to dog tags or labels for Jewish people intended to harm national security.
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