Hong Kong chief defends removing of politically delicate books from libraries
H
ong Kong’s chief has defended pulling politically delicate books from the town’s public libraries, saying residents is not going to be beneficial titles that includes “bad ideologies”.
Books referencing the 1989 Tiannmen Square bloodbath, which noticed troops in Beijing violently crack down on pro-democracy protesters, have been faraway from library cabinets and not using a clear clarification, together with others written by pro-democracy politicians and political commentators.
Critics say the transfer will additional undermine Hong Kong’s popularity for having free entry to info and freedom of expression.
But Hong Kong’s chief govt John Lee defended the sweeping regulation on the legislature, saying the town’s freedoms are protected by the its structure.
“The books we offer for residents to borrow are those that we recommend,” he stated.
“We would never recommend books that are illegal and violate copyrights. We would never recommend those that we deem to be featuring bad ideologies.”
Mr Lee didn’t elaborate on what are thought of “bad ideologies”, however stated residents can nonetheless discover such books to learn elsewhere.
The removing of the books from libraries was reported by native media retailers after a Chinese newspaper stopped publishing works by the town’s most distinguished political cartoonist on Sunday, following authorities complaints.
Comic strip collections by the cartoonist have been additionally now not obtainable in public libraries.
Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to China’s rule in 1997, promising to retain its western-style freedoms.
But the town’s cultural and artistic sectors stated freedoms have shrunk since Beijing imposed a tricky nationwide safety regulation in 2020, following large pro-democracy protests the earlier yr.
Since the sweeping regulation was enacted, the town’s artwork and media communities have discovered to be cautious of crossing vaguely outlined pink strains in producing artwork and different content material that could be perceived as difficult the Chinese Communist Party’s management.
The group that previously organised an annual vigil in Hong Kong in remembrance of the Tiananmen Square bloodbath additionally voted to disband in 2021 beneath the shadow of the safety regulation.
The vigil was the one large-scale public commemoration of the occasion on Chinese soil and was attended by large crowds till authorities banned it in 2020, citing anti-pandemic measures.
Supporters say the group’s closure reveals the freedoms and autonomy promised when Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 are diminishing.