Hong Kong residents voice support for national security legislation
Hong Kong residents queue up to sign a petition in support of the national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Sunday.
A petition activity was launched on Sunday in support of national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with the number of participators quickly amounting to tens of thousands.
More than 1,000 street stands were set up across Hong Kong to collect public signatures for the petition. At a street stand in Sheung Wan area on Hong Kong Island, a total of 456 signatures were collected in only two hours on Sunday.
Piana He, a volunteer at the street stand, said that the petition was welcomed and supported by many Hong Kong residents as they believed that national security legislation at the state level will provide crucial support for maintaining Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability and safeguarding the residents’ well-being.
The petition activity was launched by a newly established organization jointly initiated by thousands of people and hundreds of groups representing various sectors in the Hong Kong community.
The petition, to be held for one week, was also launched online. By Sunday evening, more than 100,000 people had participated in the online petition.
After a draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to safeguard national security was submitted to the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress for deliberation, many Hong Kong residents have voiced support for the legislation.
Chung Pui-lan, a retired kindergarten teacher who participated in the petition, said she supports the legislation and hopes that it will help protect Hong Kong from scourge caused by external forces and restore its prosperity and stability.
The prolonged disturbance has dealt a serious blow to Hong Kong’s economy and people’s livelihood, and many innocent residents were brutally assaulted by rioters just for holding different views, a Hong Kong resident surnamed Lau said, adding that she hopes the legislation will help protect Hong Kong residents’ freedom and safety from being threatened by violence.
Hong Kong police on Sunday afternoon said it had arrested at least 120 people by 4:30pm from violent protests that erupted in Wanchai and Causeway Bay areas at noon, adding that most of them were suspected of illegal assembly.
