Not a day goes by without Hong Kong democracy advocate Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) wondering how long it will be before the police’s new national security unit comes for him.
The 23-year-old is the territory’s most high-profile political activist, and has twice been jailed for leading anti-government protests in the territory, but since Beijing imposed a draconian new security law on June 30, the stakes have risen significantly.
“Every day when I sleep, I can’t imagine when will the police storm into my home,” Wong said. “The question for every activist is how much private life is still left?
Photo: AFP
“How much time we can spend with our friends before the day Beijing arrests us with the National Security Law,” he said.
Wong knew that the law would dramatically alter the territory’s freedoms, which China pledged to protect until 2047 under the handover deal with Britain, and it was not long before he saw firsthand how his own daily life had changed.
In the middle of July he was on his way to submit his candidacy to stand in the now-delayed Legislative Council elections — an application rejected because of his political views — when he noticed a convoy of at least six vehicles following him.
“It’s like one of those Hollywood movies,” Wong said. “The drivers even held the walkie-talkies to coordinate.”
One of the many provisions of the new law was to allow security agents from mainland China to operate openly in Hong Kong for the first time, and they moved into a requisitioned luxury hotel days after the legislation passed in June.
“Freedom, privacy and safety are no longer taken for granted in Hong Kong since the law was implemented,” Wong said.
Having spent most of his teenage years leading protests he has been dubbed a leading “anti-China rabble-rouser” by Beijing.
The security law has already swept up two of his comrades.
Fellow former student leader Nathan Law (羅冠聰) has fled to Britain and is now wanted for national security crimes according to Chinese state media.
Agnes Chow (周庭) — who has led protests alongside Wong since they were 15 — is one of 22 people arrested under the new law so far. She has been released on bail.
Wong described a balancing act between his public political life, and his private persona — but believes his prominence does provide some protection.
“Being a high-profile activist, sometimes when the regime needs to target you, they also have a bit more hesitation,” Wong said.
Wong is a fan of the online game Animal Crossing, but even that has become entangled with politics.
When Hong Kong fans of the game festooned their virtual islands with pro-democracy imagery, the product was promptly pulled from mainland Chinese app stores.
Many users blamed Wong, a sign of the vitriol he has long endured in the increasingly polarized territory.
Last month he and a friend went dog walking, and were tailed by an SUV, whose occupants got out to film and berate him, calling him a “traitor.”
“They even scolded the dog,” he said.
However, Wong said he has no plans to scale back his activism.
“It seems to be a zero-sum game,” he said.
“If they choose not to arrest me, I may still be in Hong Kong, but if they choose to arrest me, I may be extradited to China immediately,” he said. “And that’s the end.”
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