Beijing’s national security office has opened in Hong Kong, just over a week after China’s central government imposed a tough new law on the city that critics view as a further deterioration of freedoms promised to the former British colony.
The inauguration came as Hong Kong’s education bureau announced on Wednesday that schools must not allow students to play, sing or broadcast the protest anthem Glory To Hong Kong – because it contains political messages.
Last week, the city criminalised the pro-democracy slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time” under the new national security law, which took effect on June 30.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam joined her predecessors Leung Chun-ying and Tung Chee-hwa in marking the opening of the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong.
Chinese Communist Party officials were also present, and security was tight.
Following a flag-raising ceremony, at which the Chinese flag was hoisted outside the office, Ms Lam and the former Hong Kong leaders unveiled a plaque bearing the name of the new agency.
Officials present then congratulated one another on the opening.
Under the national security law, police now have sweeping powers to conduct searches without warrants and order internet service providers and platforms to remove messages deemed to be in violation of the legislation.
The fear is that the law erodes the special freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong, which has operated under a “one country, two systems” framework since China took control of the city from Britain in 1997.
That arrangement has allowed Hong Kong’s people freedoms not permitted in mainland China, such as public dissent and unrestricted internet access.
After the law was imposed, tech companies – including Facebook, Google and Twitter – said they would stop processing requests from law enforcement officials for user data in Hong Kong, as they assess the ramifications of the law.
On Wednesday, Microsoft and Zoom said they would take similar action.
TikTok announced on Tuesday that it would stop operations of its app in Hong Kong, and by Tuesday the app could not be downloaded from Hong Kong’s Apple and Google app stores.
