“Soft Resistance” still definitely exists in Hong Kong, the chief executive has said, urging residents to remain vigilant as “many villains” are trying to threaten national security.
City leader John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Tuesday that criticism of the local government was acceptable only if it did not intend to undermine national security.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui earlier said that authorities would step up scrutiny in granting venues and funds to shows in guarding against soft resistance, fuelling concerns from the arts sector that her warning would affect many innocent works of art and hurt the city’s cultural scene.
Backing Law’s remarks on Tuesday, Lee said soft resistance still “definitely” existed in Hong Kong despite the national security law being in effect for five years.
“Soft resistance is real and lurks in different places, potentially existing in various fields,” Lee said before a weekly meeting of the city’s top decision-making body, the Executive Council.
“Some are operated under different names that might sound righteous, but are actually intended to harm security or carry out destructive soft resistance. It comes in many forms and varieties. We all need to stay vigilant and clear-eyed.”
Lee pointed to the “organ donation saga” in 2023, during which authorities recorded an unusual wave of withdrawals from the city’s organ donation register from those who had never joined in a bid to rattle the system.
The city leader also cited remarks made by Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, in a high-level forum on Sunday marking the fifth anniversary of the national security law, in which he urged residents not to “forget about the pain when the wounds are healed”.
Lee reminded residents that such national security threats might be lurking, hidden or deceptive.
“Hongkongers are virtuous, or else we would not have so many people falling into scams despite [authorities’ anti-scam] promotions. But there are also many villains on the street that we need to be cautious in guarding against, especially with soft resistance,” he said.
Everyone, including organisations empowered by the law, must place national security law as their key consideration when they exercise their powers, he stressed.
Lee also said that criticism of the government would be acceptable as long as it was free of any malicious intent and not meant to be destructive.
“We must be careful not to look at isolated incidents alone. When we connect a series of events, you may realise this could be part of a larger plan within the soft resistance strategy,” he said.
Last week, the tourism chief said that her bureau would exercise more prudence in reviewing and approving venues and funds for arts and culture groups as a way to fend off soft resistance.
Her remarks soon stirred up criticism from the city’s culture and art sector, with prominent playwright Candace Chong Mui-ngam questioning whether Law’s warning would wrong some innocent works.
She feared every level of staff would put the works “under a microscope”, trying to categorise any slight trace as “imaginary soft resistance” that endangers national security.
Under Hong Kong’s laws, there is no definition of “soft resistance” nor clear penalties for it.