Status: 07/22/2021 2:57 p.m.
Five members of a Hong Kong speech therapist union have been arrested for publishing allegedly “inflammatory” children’s books. The police said they tried to stir up children’s hatred of the government.
In Hong Kong, five members of the speech therapists union have been arrested for a series of children’s books. The three women and two men between the ages of 25 and 28 had “published, distributed, exhibited or copied inflammatory publications,” said Hong Kong police.
The union had published three illustrated books in the past three months to explain the democracy movement to children. The activists are portrayed as sheep living in a village surrounded by wolves. The sheep take action, for example by going on strike or fleeing in boats, according to summaries of the books on the association’s website.
Accusation of inciting violence
The unionists tried to “incite public hatred – especially that of young children – against the Hong Kong government and justice system and to incite violence and illegal acts,” the police said. This also froze assets worth the equivalent of around 17,500 euros that are related to the union.
Within the security agencies, the newly created National Security Police Unit, which leads the crackdown on critics of the Hong Kong and Chinese governments, was responsible for the arrests.
Security law allows authorities to crack down on cracks
In Hong Kong there were months of mass protests against China’s growing influence in 2019. In response, the Chinese leadership passed the so-called Security Law a year ago, which allows the Hong Kong authorities to crack down on any activity they believe threatens China’s national security. Violations can be punished with life imprisonment. Since then, there have been repeated arrests of pro-democratic supporters.
At the same time as the unionists were arrested, a Hong Kong court refused to give bail to four arrested senior editors and journalists of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.
Seven democracy supporters convicted
The day before, they were arrested on suspicion of conspiring with foreign forces to endanger national security. So far, eight former Apple Daily employees have been arrested.
The judiciary also convicted seven Hong Kong government supporters for violently attacking protesters. Judge Eddie Yip said they “collectively lost their minds” and “took the law into their own hands and immersed residents in extreme terror.”