HKFP reports
“I am here to join a march, not a shame parade… This is intimidation,” one marcher said. “Now even trying to take a breath of fresh air may endanger national security.”
Hong Kong’s first protest against a government policy in about two years went ahead on Sunday, but under strict rules including a cap on numbers and a requirement that everyone wear an identifying number tag.
At the beginning of the rally an organiser again reminded everyone that whoever wanted to join the rally must first get a number badge from the marshals , otherwise they could not enter the rally area nor join the procession. pic.twitter.com/SAf4IbjJKD
— Xinqi Su ??? (@XinqiSu) March 26, 2023
In mid-2020 Beijing imposed a National Security Law (NSL) to stamp out dissent in the southern Chinese city, which had been rocked by pro-democracy unrest.
There have been few public protests against official policy since then, due to a combination of the crackdown and social-distancing measures to counter the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sunday’s march was against a land reclamation plan in the city’s east.
As the first officially authorised protest against a government plan since the coronavirus measures were lifted, it offered an indication of the measure of dissent still allowed in the city.
Police required organisers to follow stringent conditions including capping numbers at 100, making participants wear number tags around their necks, and surrounding the crowd with a cordon, with media separated from marchers.
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