Hong Kong authorities raided two independent bookstores and arrested five people on suspicion of selling seditious publications, the latest step in a widening crackdown on dissent in the territory. The raids on Wednesday targeted Have A Nice Stay, a bookshop founded by former journalists, and Greenfield Book Store, both in the Mong Kok district.
Videos and photos from multiple media outlets showed police officers wearing vests marked with “police” seizing boxes from the building housing Have A Nice Stay. AFP reporters witnessed officers leading away a woman in handcuffs to a van. A similar scene unfolded at Greenfield Book Store, according to a video by online news outlet The Collective.
Third Round of Arrests This Year
Police said in a statement they arrested two men and three women on suspicion of displaying and offering for sale items with “seditious intention”, breaching the 2024 national security law. The arrests mark the third round linked to independent bookstores, following similar operations in March and June that were widely seen as stifling dissent in the Asian financial hub.
Hong Kong was once known for its freedom of publication and expression, with some Chinese residents crossing the border to buy books deemed too politically sensitive on the mainland. The city’s security chief, Chris Tang, told reporters on Thursday: “If you are a bookseller, you have a responsibility to ensure that the books you sell do not endanger national security.” He added, “I believe booksellers bear this responsibility,” comparing it to food vendors being required to ensure their goods do not “contain poison or breach the law.”
Details of the Investigation
The police statement said the five suspects were allegedly involved in displaying seditious materials and selling seditious publications, including content that stirred up hatred against the city’s government, judiciary, and law enforcement agencies. Customs officials referred the case after discovering allegedly seditious books in a batch of goods shipped to Hong Kong from overseas, police said, without specifying titles.
Tang did not provide details on which publications breached the rules but said books that incited hatred against authorities would be considered unlawful. “The law is very clear. If you break the law, you have crossed the red line,” he said. He reiterated that officials would not compile a list of banned books, focusing on content rather than titles.
Impact on Independent Bookstores
Have A Nice Stay had already announced it would shut down on 30 August, citing financial difficulties and an elusive red line among factors. The owner of Causeway Bay Books, Lam Wing-kee, who died earlier this month, made international headlines in 2016 after revealing he was held by Chinese authorities after crossing from Hong Kong to Shenzhen. Four others affiliated with that bookstore disappeared in late 2015.
Lam’s account shocked many in the former British colony, which Beijing promised would maintain its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years after its return to China in 1997. Following political changes after anti-government protests in 2019, independent bookstores have faced an even more challenging environment. Authorities say national security laws are crucial for the city’s stability, and Tang has stated the government would not set up a list of banned books, calling it pointless.
Previous Raids
In March, police arrested the owner and staff of the independent Book Punch store on suspicion of selling seditious publications, including the biography of former pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in his national security case. In June, Hong Kong police arrested two booksellers on suspicion of selling seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organisations. All were later released on bail.
