‘I’m ready for jail’: the Hong Kong dissidents who chose to stay and fight
- Uncertainty, death threats and surveillance. Post-national security law Hong Kong doesn’t sound so welcoming to dissidents
- Even so, to some the risks are worth it
It has been more than 100 days since the imposition of the national security law on Hong Kong on June 30. In the third of a three-part series, the Post looks at how it has led to the emergence of a group of exiled dissidents who have sought refuge abroad and another group who have chosen to stay and fight. See here for parts one and two.
So why are so many determined to stay? Many seasoned activists say it is necessary to be wherever the fight may be – and some say that battleground will always be in Hong Kong – while younger activists often cite their optimism, or even a sense of adventure. Generational differences aside, they share one thing in common: a commitment to the city.
“I have decided to stay here regardless of the outcome because of my love for this place, my sense of attachment and my desire to walk alongside all of those who will continue to occupy this piece of land,” said student activist Isaac Cheng Ka-long.
The 20-year-old sociology student from Shue Yan University has been campaigning for issues at the heart of the city’s education system. A convenor of advocacy group Education Breakthrough, he reminds people about the importance of critical thinking for students at a time when – according to him – the authorities are tightening their grip on schools and using them for propaganda purposes.
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National Security Law: The impact on Hong Kong’s activists
But Cheng is very much on Beijing’s radar. The State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office condemned both Cheng and Wong in early June, accusing them of extending their “black hands” into schools and using students as “cannons” and “tools” to prevent the national security law from being passed.
