China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office yesterday said that the territory would never be calm unless “black-clad violent protesters” were all removed, describing them as a “political virus” that seeks independence from Beijing.
The strongly worded statement came amid mounting concerns among democracy advocates that China is tightening its grip over the former British colony, while a lockdown to prevent COVID-19 infections has largely kept their movement off the streets.
The office said that China’s central government would not sit idly by “with this recklessly demented force in place,” and that Beijing has the greatest responsibility in maintaining order and safeguarding national security.
“The scorched-earth action of the black-clad violent protesters is a political virus in Hong Kong society and a big enemy to ‘one country two systems,’” the office said in a statement.
“As long as the protesters are not removed, Hong Kong will never be calm,” it said.
The territory was rocked last year by months of massive, and sometimes violent, political protests over a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial.
Many young protesters dressed in black fought running battles with Hong Kong police as the demonstrations evolved into calls for greater democracy.
Protesters said that Beijing was seeking to erode the “one country, two systems” style of governance that guarantees broad freedoms for Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Hong Kong riot police late last month dispersed a crowd of 300 pro-democracy advocates, some wearing black — the first sizeable protest since the government imposed a ban on public meetings at the end of March to curb coronavirus infections.
The arrests last month of 15 democracy advocates, including veteran politicians, a publishing tycoon and senior barristers, thrust the protest movement back into the spotlight, and drew condemnation from Washington and international rights groups.
Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong on Saturday condemned what it described as extreme radicals for holding illegal assemblies over the International Workers’ Day holiday and accused them of undermining the rule of law.
A war of words has intensified in the past few weeks, with Beijing’s top official in Hong Kong urging the local government to work to enact national security legislation “as soon as possible,” fueling worries over what many see as encroachment on the territory’s freedoms.
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