1,500 Arts Workers Protest China’s Proposed Hong Kong National Security Law, Claiming It Will Do ‘Incalculable’ Damage to Culture in the City

News that Beijing is preparing to pass a law that would allow
Chinese agencies to criminalize acts deemed threatening to China’s
national security has sent shockwaves through the city and
reignited pro-democracy protests that had quieted during its
lockdown.

Though the details have not been fully revealed, there is
widespread concern that the law—which Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo described as a “death knell” for Hong Kong—could severely
curtail free speech and artistic expression. More than 1,500
organizations and members of the creative industry have now signed
a petition expressing
shock and fear about its potential impact on Hong Kong’s seven
million citizens.

The petition, first reported by Art Asia
Pacific, states that the law could create “a climate of
fear and self-censorship that harms artistic expression, free
speech, cultural exchange, and even personal security. The
consequent damage to the image of Hong Kong as a cultural
metropolis and to the economy will be incalculable.”

They also decry the fact that the law will be deliberated over
the course of just five days and voted on in Beijing without, they
say, any consultation whatsoever of the Hong Kong citizens who will
be affected. Signatories of the petition include artist Samson
Young, curator Inti Guerrero, and arts editor Nicolette
Wong.

As outlined, the proposed national security law forbids
activities, speech, and other forms of expression that could be
interpreted by Chinese authorities as acts of secession,
subversion, or organized terrorism. The vote on the law is
scheduled to take place on May 27; passage is likely, according to
reports.

The petitioners note that the law could have a dramatic impact
on the freedom and cultural life of Hong Kong. They write:

Will a stage drama about June 4 [the day of the Tiananmen Square
protests] be regarded as a subversion of state power? Will
participating in an international arts festival or inviting foreign
artists to Hong Kong for artistic exchange be considered as
inducing intervention by foreign countries or foreign forces? Will
lyrics about anti-extradition protests be labelled as inciting
terrorist activities? Will film dialogue referring to a female
character’s costume as ‘Taiwanese’ be accused of hurting national
feelings, violating the principle of one China and splitting the
country? Will arts education programs be funded only if ‘national
security’ elements are included? Who will enforce the law if it is
broken? Will offenders be arrested by personnel from organizations
set up by the Central Government authorities overseeing national
security? Will they be sent to the mainland for trial and sentence?
We are extremely worried that speech crimes, like a sword of
Damocles hanging over our heads, will create chilling effects and
remove the freedom not to glorify the existing regime.

The group is urging Ma Fung-kwok, a longtime Hong Kong
legislative councillor for sports, performing arts, culture, and
press who is a member of the Hong Kong delegation to the National
People’s Congress, to refuse to vote for the law.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Pompeo told US Congress yesterday
that the State Department no longer considered Hong Kong to have
significant autonomy under Chinese rule, according to the New York
Times. The reclassification indicates that the Trump
administration is likely to end some or all of the US government’s
special trade and economic relations with Hong Kong.

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Kong National Security Law, Claiming It Will Do ‘Incalculable’
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