The Hong Kong activists defying China by remembering the past
In Hong Kong the calendar has become political. Today marks 29 years since Hong Kong was returned to China after more than 100 years of British rule. Before the introduction of a wide-sweeping national security law, on July 1 there was an official flag-raising ceremony held by the government. In the afternoon crowds would gather in Victoria Park and march to government headquarters, chanting slogans against the Chinese Communist party. The anniversary marked the return of Hong Kong to China but also represented mass public participation. Activists say that even a small gathering is seen as an act of public defiance Now politics has become a more private affair. Anniversaries that once drew crowds to the streets bring police surveillance.
