As the Chinese Communist Party celebrates its centenary in China, security forces in Hong Kong are moving to prevent demonstrations. Usually, July 1 is the day democracy is celebrated there. The United Kingdom handed Hong Kong over to China on that date in 1997.
Former CDA MP Kathleen Ferrier lived in Hong Kong and sets the date for the celebration on July 1. People are not allowed to go out into the streets at all now. The United Kingdom returned Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997. While I was living in Hong Kong, July 1 was a national holiday, like Queen’s Day, here. On that day, people peacefully took to the streets in great numbers to defend democratic rights and freedoms. Last year, ironically, on July 1, the National Security Law was put into effect in Hong Kong from the Chinese capital, Beijing. Since then, any form of protest to defend democratic rights and civil liberties has become nearly impossible.
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Where the protest march in Hong Kong usually takes place, everything has been cordoned off. Nineteen people were arrested today. This also relates to the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party. With the return of Hong Kong to China, agreements were made that the region would retain the old liberties as it had been under the British. Since the introduction of the National Security Act, this is no longer the case, according to Ferrer.
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