Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that “ideology” poses a threat to national security and urged parents, teachers and religious leaders to observe the behavior of young people and report offenders to the authorities.
Since then, this financial center has quickly turned to authoritarianism China’s Last year, a comprehensive national security law was implemented and its political system was changed to reduce democratic participation and expel people deemed unfaithful to Beijing.
At the weekly press conference, Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor expressed disappointment at some residents mourning the death of a 50-year-old man who returned to Chinese rule on July 1, the former British colony, and the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. Suicide after stabbing a policeman on the anniversary. .
“For a long time, citizens have been affected by misconceptions, such as justice through illegal means,” Lin told reporters, adding that national security risks not only come from “public order” behavior but also from ideology.
Hong Kong police call stabbing a police officer during the handover protest as a “lone wolf” behavior
Since protesters took to the streets in 2019 to demand greater democracy and accountability for the so-called police violence by activists, the city has been polarized. The authorities stated that the protests were instigated by foreign forces and exposed risks to national security.
Since the introduction of the security law, the most prominent government opponents have been imprisoned or fled abroad. Critics say the legislation undermines the city’s extensive rights and freedoms, while supporters say it has restored stability.
Lin said that government departments “should not allow illegal ideas to infiltrate the public through education, broadcasting, art and culture, beautify violence, and deceive the public’s conscience.”
“I also call on parents, principals, teachers, and even pastors to observe the behavior of teenagers around them. If some teenagers are found to be illegal, they must be reported.”
Police and security officials stated that, based on unspecified material found on the attacker’s computer, the stabbing of the 28-year-old policeman was a “terrorist attack” and a lone wolf attack.
On Friday, people went to the scene of the attack. Some of them took their children, paid tribute to the attacker and presented flowers, which aroused condemnation from Lin and other officials.
Lin said residents should not be deceived by information circulating online suggesting that the government is responsible for violence or slogans such as “no violence, only tyranny.”
“Don’t make excuses for violence,” Lin said.
(Reported by Hong Kong News and Editorial Office; Written by Marius Zaharia; Edited by Stephen Coates)
