This Thursday, July 1, Hong Kong celebrates 25 years of retrocession: in 1997, the British colony fell back into the bosom of China. Since then, Hong Kongers’ hopes of preserving their autonomy and way of life for another 50 years have been dashed. The life that best reflects these upheavals experienced by Hong Kongers is that of Nathan Law.
Ex-student leader and leader of the “umbrella revolt” in 2014, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, Nathan Law is now wanted by Beijing. He faces decades in prison. RFI met the Hong Kong dissident during his first visit to France.
Does this 25th anniversary of the handover have a bitter taste for you?
The government in Beijing has betrayed the people of Hong Kong. At the time of the handover in 1997, China promised them autonomy, freedom and democracy. But 25 years later, none of these promises have been kept. They were flouted. We are therefore fighting to ensure that these promises are kept, Hong Kongers deserve it.
Five years ago, on the 20th anniversary of the handover, the pro-democracy movement was still in full swing, and you, as a student leader, were elected as the youngest member of Parliament in Hong Kong. Today, everything has changed: your opposition party ‘Demosisto’ is dissolved, your friends are in prison, you had to cut all ties with your family, because you are a fugitive wanted by Beijing…
My life has been turned upside down. In 2016, I was elected as a member of the Legislative Council, I was then 23 years old. But Beijing intervened and persecuted me. So I was impeached in 2017 and imprisoned for my involvement in the umbrella revolution. After the National Security Law was passed in 2020, which criminalizes free speech, I was forced to flee Hong Kong. Today, I am a political refugee living in exile in London. My life mirrors that of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is no longer the place where diverse political opinions can be expressed. It’s just a Chinese city like so many others.
►Also read: The exile of Nathan Law, one of the young leaders of the pro-democracy demonstrations
A Chinese city like so many others where no demonstrations are allowed?
Beijing wants to send a very clear message. China claims that the enactment of the national security law and the crackdown on protests have helped Hong Kong regain its stability and people live happily there. This is obviously not the case ! People don’t raise their voices anymore because it’s forbidden. If they do, they will be imprisoned for years. Beijing wants to increasingly control and muzzle civil society. The anniversary of the handover is therefore obviously a sad day for us. A person who believes in democracy cannot celebrate this day with the government. Only dictators will celebrate this anniversary.
Part of Hong Kong’s history will be erased from new textbooks, including the word ‘British colony’. How do you explain it?
Beijing wants to twist history to legitimize repression. Given all of China’s lies, this is not surprising, but we have an obligation to say it is false. We are not boasting that we were a British colony, but it is a fact. We cannot deny it for political purposes. Children will learn these lies at school, prevalent in textbooks. This is also why so many Hong Kongers have left the city.
120,000 Hong Kongers have already chosen to live elsewhere. How can Western countries support those who want to stay and what attitude towards China do you expect from the international community?
Sanctions are one way to exert pressure, but not the only one. We must also develop mechanisms to protect our democracies. An example: we all agree that it was a mistake to become so dependent on Russian energy. Russia has used this dependency to make us more vulnerable. However, our dependence on China is even greater. We opened our doors to the Chinese and they took advantage of this to invade us with their propaganda, to promote their dictatorship and to discredit our democracies. China will use all possible levers to infiltrate us and attack our system. Our politicians should take this into account.
►Also read: Nathan Law, Hong Kong activist exiled in London: “The world must form a united front”