Hongkongers ‘welcome’ to report library books that may endanger national security
Members of the public can express their views on library collections to ensure that the collections do not contain objectionable contents, violate the laws of Hong Kong or endanger national security.
Members of the public are “welcome” to report books that may endanger national security to the government department that oversees the city’s public library system, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has said.
In a press release on Thursday, LCSD said it had launched new channels to collect views on library collections.
A public library in Hong Kong. Photo: Lea Mok/HKFP.
If people suspected any items in the library collection were contrary to the law or contained “objectionable content,” LCSD said they could express their opinions via a designated online form, a paper form or by email.
“Members of the public are welcome to express their views on library collections to ensure that the collections do not contain objectionable contents (such as those which exaggerate violence, pornography and vulgarism) , violate the laws of Hong Kong or endanger national security,” the form read.
According to the form, complainants were invited to submit information on the offending item, including title, author, publisher, page number and the reason why it should not be included in the collection. People were not required to provide personal information.
Public library in Hong Kong. File photo: GovHK.
Public libraries will follow up on complaints and possibly remove library materials from the shelves for review. They will not respond to any complaints.
Worsen situation
Lo Kin-hei, chairperson of the Democratic Party, the city’s largest pro-democracy party, said on Thursday he was worried that the move might worsen the situation regarding book removals from public libraries.
“Some people may report the books they dislike without good reason, and staff may simply remove those books after receiving a complaint to avoid being criticised by their superiors or the public for not following up on complaints,” Lo said.
He added that there was no clear definitions of books that “endanger national security” or “exaggerate violence, pornography and vulgarity.” The staff may remove books without filtering the complaints.
“It is completely not beneficial to libraries as a source of knowledge and information,” said Lo.
Support new practice
However, Philip Li, the executive committee of the city’s biggest pro-Beijing party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), said he supported the new practice.
Li said on Thursday that he welcomed LCSD’s acceptance of DAB’s suggestion about setting up a platform to collect public views on library collections.
He suggested LCSD regularly release the number of complaints received and cases handled to enhance the public understanding on the department’s efforts in handling problematic books.
HKFP has reached out to LCSD for comment.
Chinese books that were removed from Hong Kong public libraries. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Hong Kong’s public library system has been in the spotlight recently, with local media reporting that political titles were stealthily removed from shelves since 2020. While books about civil disobedience were the first to disappear, the genre of those included in the purge were not limited to politics.
LCSD has never revealed the list of books that have been removed from the library system since the implementation of the Beijing-imposed security law, saying that making the list available “may lead to wide circulation of such library materials with malicious intent.”
Among the books that have disappeared from libraries are those about the Tiananmen crackdown on June 4, 1989. Hundreds if not thousands died that day after the People’s Liberation Army cracked down on protesters in Beijing.
In June 2020, Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution – bypassing the local legislature – following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts, which were broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers, alarming democrats, civil society groups and trade partners, as such laws have been used broadly to silence and punish dissidents in China. However, the authorities say it has restored stability and peace to the city.
Mandy Cheng is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press. Previously, she worked at Ming Pao, focusing on investigative and feature reporting. She also contributed to Cable TV and others.
