Hong Kong demonstrators defy lockdowns to protest a sweeping new national security law

Thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of downtown Hong Kong on Sunday, defying social distancing protocols to protest Beijing’s announcement of a sweeping new national security law that could unravel many of the civil liberties residents enjoy in the semi-autonomous region of China.

Police used water cannons, tear gas, and pepper spray to disperse protesters, and there were reports of protesters throwing objects like plastic bottles and umbrellas at the police. At least 120 people were arrested.

The protest — the largest in the territory since the spread of coronavirus-caused lockdowns across China — reflects an intensification of longstanding tensions between pro-democracy protesters and the Chinese government at a critical political moment in the region.

The demonstrations came as Beijing has announced plans to bring Hong Kong further under its control using a forthcoming national security law — one experts say could be used to quash dissent and end many liberties Hongkongers have that those living in mainland China do not, like freedom of the press.

The ruling Communist Party has long endeavored to bring Hong Kong more fully under its control, and has signaled it would prefer not to wait until 2047 — when the city’s special status expires — to do so. In light of the local government’s failure to pass legislation giving the national government that control, it now appears Beijing is taking matters into its own hands, as Vox’s Jen Kirby has explained — and that it is moving to bring a lively protest movement that gained serious momentum in 2019 to heel.