Hong Kong lawmakers, activists condemn Beijing's national security law legislation

Hong Kong lawmakers, activists condemn Beijing's national security law legislation

More than a dozen pan-democrat lawmakers and other activists assembled at a police station to march to the nearby Chinese Liaison Office, chanting "Hong Kong is becoming Xinjiang".

Lee Cheuk-Yan of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China said "one country, two systems" was being eroded by Beijing.

The march participants were stopped by law enforcement, who initially asked them to disperse but then allowed the marchers to proceed in groups of eight after showing their identity papers.

Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers and activists from civil groups condemned Beijing's imposition of national security law on the semi-autonomous city on Friday (May 22) after the official announcement at a briefing yesterday night.

Appearing at a news conference, the opposition and civil society groups said the legislation will put an end to 'One country, two system', a formula which put in place to guarantee the city's high degree of autonomy when it returned to Chinese rule.

China announced on Thursday (May 21) that China is set to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong after last year's violent pro-democracy unrest that plunged the city into its deepest turmoil since the handover to Beijing in 1997.

The legislation, which will be deliberated by the NPC, could be a turning point for its freest and most international city, potentially triggering a revision of its special status in Washington and likely to spark more unrest.