People who say that the Hong Kong government only focuses on national security are committing “soft resistance,” the city’s leader John Lee has told government-funded broadcaster RTHK.
“Some people may put up ‘soft resistance,’ deliberately saying the government only focuses on a certain aspect like national security, and ignores the others. That’s ridiculous,” Lee said in Cantonese on Wednesday. “Look at my policies. There are policies on national security, but most of them are not about national security.”
See also: Explainer: What is ‘soft resistance’?
In recent months, Hong Kong officials have vowed to take a hard line against “soft resistance,” but have failed to define what is meant by the term. Pro-establishment commentator Lau Siu-kai has said that it refers to ideological work, including “disseminating disinformation, creating panic, maliciously attacking the SAR government and the central authorities and distorting the Basic Law.”
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
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