Riot police pepper spray while clashing with a group of mediators during demonstrations against the draft bill.Ivan Abreu/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
- On Thursday, China passed a new national security measure for Hong Kong that effectively crushes the city's autonomy.
- The legislation is meant to severely limit dissent, and could allow China to set up a police force within the city, ban activist groups, and put an end to the semiautonomous powers that Hong Kong has had since 1997.
- Critics of the new legislation have called it the "end of Hong Kong" and see it as retaliation for over six months of protests that occurred last year in opposition to a Chinese extradition bill.
- Over the past few days, thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong to reignite a pro-democracy fight and protest the new draconian law. At least 360 people have been arrested.
In a landslide vote on Thursday, China passed new national security legislation for Hong Kong that will effectively crush the city's autonomy.
The legislation is meant to crack down on dissent, subversion, terrorism, and treason against the Chinese government, and will work to limit the freedoms of the semiautonomous arrangement that Hong Kong has had since 1997.
The new measure gives China the authority to draft and propose national security laws, such as establishing a formal police presence within Hong Kong, suppressing political speech and activism, and imposing long jail sentences for violations.
Critics of the new legislation have called it the "end of Hong Kong" and see it as a major blow to the city's freedoms. Others view it as a measure of retaliation to suppress Hong Kong voices after several months of protests against a Chinese extradition law occurred last year.
Over the last few days, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to fight against the new draconian measure. At least 360 have been arrested.
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