Raids Target Mong Kok Bookshops
Hong Kong police arrested five people on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, on suspicion of selling seditious publications. The operation marks the third major enforcement action against the city’s independent bookstores this year. Authorities targeted two locations in Mong Kok, seizing boxes of materials they allege incite hatred against the government and judiciary under the 2024 national security law.
Inside the July 15 Operation
The National Security Department launched simultaneous raids on two bookstores in Mong Kok on July 15, 2026.
The crackdown began after a referral from the Customs and Excise Department, which flagged “seditious” books inside an overseas shipment. While police declined to name the targets in their official briefing, local media outlet The Collective identified the stores as Have A Nice Stay and Greenfield Book Store.
A Pattern of Retailer Crackdowns
This week’s arrests follow a string of similar police operations in March and June 2026. During the March raid, authorities arrested staff from Book Punch, targeting materials that included a biography of detained pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai. By June, two additional booksellers were arrested on charges of sedition, with prosecutors adding allegations of receiving funding from foreign political organizations.
Closing Doors and Shifting Lines
For Have A Nice Stay, the raid caught the business in its final days. Management had already announced plans to close on August 30, 2026, citing financial strain and the difficulty of navigating “elusive red lines” regarding permissible content in the city.
Security Legislation and the New Normal
The environment for independent publishing has been transformed by the 2024 national security law. Secretary for Security Chris Tang has stated that the government does not intend to maintain an official “banned book” list, arguing such a move is impractical. Instead, authorities maintain that these enforcement actions are necessary to ensure the city’s stability.
The current climate marks a sharp departure from Hong Kong’s history as a hub for free expression, where residents once sought out politically sensitive literature unavailable in mainland China. Following the 2019 anti-government protests, the city has undergone a broad overhaul of its security and legal frameworks. All five individuals arrested on July 15 were released on bail as the investigation continues.
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