“What should I do with those copies of Apple Daily?”Someone in Hong Kong who I was chatting with on the phone recently had suddenly dropped her voice to ask that question, referring to the pro-democracy newspaper that the government forced to shut down in 2021.
“Should I toss them or send them to you?”My conversations with Hong Kong friends are peppered with such whispers these days.
Last week, the city enacted a draconian security law — its second serious legislative assault on Hong Kong’s freedoms since 2020.
It had rule of law, a rowdy press and a semi-democratic Legislature that kept the powerful in check.
Anyone who grew up in China in the 1980s and 1990s could sing the Cantopop songs of Hong Kong stars like Anita Mui, and that was a problem for Beijing: Freedom was glamorous, desirable.
Persons:
“, Hong Kong, —, Anita Mui, Beijing’s
Organizations:
Apple Daily, Britain
Locations:
Hong Kong, China, Beijing