HONG KONG: Under a gray drizzle, a Hong Kong police drilling team marched on Thursday at the police academy’s weapons park and showed a newly acquired skill: stepping on the goose-style goose with closed knees of the Chinese army, an exit of the British style of bent knees was the norm in the old colony.
The mock squad was seen by hundreds of supporters who gathered in the stands to celebrate National Security Education Day, marked with fanfare 10 months after Beijing launched a crackdown on dissent in the city.
With promotional billboards throughout the city and events held at schools and other institutions, the activities aimed to expand support for a new security regime, including a national security law that makes crimes such as sedition and foreign connivance punishable by up to life in prison.
Thursday’s events also underscored that Hong Kong, which returned to China in 1997 under an agreement to grant the city limited self-government, is now firmly under Beijing’s control. Senior Chinese and local officials delivered speeches warning of serious consequences for anyone crossing China’s national security line. Many of the city’s most prominent democratic activists are in jail or in court.
The vision of the Hong Kong police marching from the mainland was the most powerful symbol of Beijing’s influence and became the focal point of the day.