China Begins Repressive Crackdown On Hong Kong, Removes Books From Libraries That Promote Democracy

Numerous books have been pulled from the shelves of libraries in Hong Kong after the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) new Hong Kong security law went into effect last week.

“Books written by prominent Hong Kong democracy activists have started to disappear from the city’s libraries, online records show, days after Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the finance hub,” Voice of America reported. “Among the authors whose titles are no longer available are Joshua Wong, one of the city’s most prominent young activists, and Tanya Chan, a well-known pro-democracy lawmaker.”

Experts and activists say that the removal of the books increases concerns that the Chinese Communist Party will use the new law to censor political statements that dissent from the oppressive political party, which has been responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of its own citizens since its inception.

The new security law “criminalizes four categories of crimes, including secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign or external forces to endanger national security,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “In contrast to mainland China, Hong Kong historically has had robust protections on free speech, and the city has been a haven for publishers and journalists. However, episodes such as the disappearance of several booksellers who sold titles in Hong Kong critical of China’s leaders have heightened anxieties that China is trying to import its style of social control into the city.”