On the First Day of Hong Kong Security Law Enforcement, 180 People Including Lawmakers Arrested... 7 Violators

Water Cannons, Pepper Spray, and Police Armored Vehicles Deployed
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong Chief Executive, "Hong Kong Government Will Enforce Law... Show Trust to China"

Hong Kong Police Fire Water Cannons at Protesters Opposing Security Law

(Hong Kong, Reuters = Yonhap News) On the 1st, marking the 23rd anniversary of the handover of sovereignty, Hong Kong police fired water cannons to disperse protesters on the streets opposing the Hong Kong National Security Law (Hong Kong Security Law).

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] On the first day of the full enforcement of the Hong Kong National Security Law (Hong Kong Security Law), more than 180 participants, including current members of the National Assembly, were arrested during opposition protests. Among them, seven were charged with violating the Hong Kong Security Law.

According to local media including China's state-run Global Times on the 1st, Hong Kong police announced that by 5:30 PM (local time) that day, they had arrested more than 180 people, of whom three men and four women were charged with violating the Hong Kong Security Law. The remaining individuals were charged with illegal assembly, possession of offensive weapons, and other offenses.

Despite the police's ban on gatherings on the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's sovereignty handover, protests against the enforcement of the Hong Kong Security Law took place across Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong media South China Morning Post (SCMP), opposition Legislative Council members Raymond Chan and Tam Tak-chi were also reportedly arrested during the protests. SCMP described a tense atmosphere in downtown Hong Kong areas such as Wan Chai, where water cannons and police armored vehicles were deployed. The police were also reported to have used pepper spray in addition to water cannons.

The first person arrested on charges of violating the Hong Kong Security Law was a man carrying a flag with the words "Hong Kong Independence" in the Causeway Bay area. Some protesters at the scene were still waving the U.S. flag.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's Chief Executive, said at a press conference that day, "Hong Kong may have triggered last year's protests because it failed to properly educate young people about the country's history and culture and deepen work connections with the central government," adding, "Except in very exceptional cases, the application of the law will be carried out by the Hong Kong government, which will demonstrate China's high level of trust." John Lee, Hong Kong's Secretary for Security, also warned protesters, "Do not test the Hong Kong Security Law."

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Security Law prohibits and punishes collusion with foreign forces, acts of secession, subversion of state power, terrorism, and establishes institutions to enforce these within Hong Kong. It was inserted into the annex of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's de facto constitution, and came into effect after being passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) the previous day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.