THE VANISHING HONG KONG
tens of thousands of tips about supposed national security violations. Civil servants and teachers are being forced to take “loyalty oaths” to China. Some teachers say they fear saying anything in their classes that might be considered a violation of national security. One pro-Beijing lawmaker has called for cameras to be installed in classrooms to monitor what teachers tell their students. Hongkongers are on edge. They have been deleting their social media accounts, scrubbing their Facebook pages of past pro-democracy statements, and deleting old Twitter posts supporting the protests or criticizing the government. Political parties have disbanded. Public libraries have removed books from their shelves that might be considered subversive. Journalists have said sources who they once conversed with regularly are now too afraid to talk or meet openly. More and more, Hong Kong is becoming like mainland China.
Pull quote. Pull quote. Pull quote. Pull quote. Pull quote. Pull quote. Pull quote. Pull quote. University, campus authorities canceled the planned “World Press Photo Exhibition 2020” the weekend before the scheduled March 1 opening, citing security and safety concerns. But the real reason seems to be several of the winning World Press Photo images were of 2019 Hong Kong protests, including policemen violently attacking demonstrators. The announcement of the cancellation came after a pro-Beijing website said the photos glorified rioters and incited hatred toward the police. A new national security snitch hotline, which carries echoes of East Germany’s old Stasi state security services, has received university administration for colluding with police to have students arrested, and they published a manifesto blasting the NSL as a violation of basic human rights. Chinese University administrators in response cut all ties with their own student union. Meanwhile at the Hong Kong Baptist
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