Democracy books disappear from Hong Kong libraries

Agence France-Presse

Posted at Jul 05 2020 07:51 AM

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Supporters raise white paper to avoid slogans banned under the national security law as they
support arrested anti-law protester outside Eastern court in Hong Kong, China July 3, 2020. Tyrone
Siu, Reuters

HONG KONG - 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.

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.

Beijing's new national security law was imposed on Tuesday and is the most radical shift in how the
semi-autonomous city is run since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

Five ways Hong Kong has changed under China's security law

Hong Kongers scrub social media history in face of security law

China's authoritarian leaders say the powers will restore stability after a year of pro-democracy
protests, will not stifle freedoms and will only target a "very small minority".

But it has already sent fear coursing through a city used to speaking openly, with police arresting
people for possessing slogans pushing independence or greater autonomy and businesses
scrambling to remove protest displays.

Wong said he believed the removal of the books was sparked by the securit