National Security Police Raid Mong Kok Bookstores
Hong Kong police arrested five people on Wednesday on suspicion of distributing “seditious” publications, marking the third major enforcement operation against independent bookstores in the city this year. Officers from the National Security Department raided two locations in the Mong Kok district, seizing materials that authorities allege were intended to incite hatred against the government and the judiciary.
Arrests Under New Security Ordinance
According to a statement from the Hong Kong Police Force, the arrests followed a customs discovery of allegedly seditious items within a batch of overseas imports.
The raid targeted the bookstore Have A Nice Stay, founded by former journalists, and the Greenfield Book Store. Local media outlets including AFP and The Collective documented officers removing boxes of confiscated items from both premises.
A Pattern of Repeated Interventions
This week’s action continues a series of interventions targeting the city’s independent booksellers:
- March 2024: Police arrested the owner and staff of the Book Punch store, citing the sale of seditious materials, including a biography of pro-democracy media figure Jimmy Lai.
- June 2024: Authorities arrested two additional booksellers, alleging they had received funding from foreign political organizations.
Have A Nice Stay, one of the shops raided this week, had already announced plans to close its doors on August 30, citing both financial strain and an “elusive red line” regarding content.
The Government’s Stance on Content Control
The Hong Kong government insists these measures are essential for regional stability. Secretary for Security Chris Tang has previously addressed concerns regarding the potential for a “banned book list,” stating that the government does not intend to implement such a registry, as he views it as impractical.
A Diminishing Space for Independent Thought
The history of independent bookselling in Hong Kong remains linked to the 2016 disappearance of booksellers associated with Causeway Bay Books. The event, which involved the detention of store owner Lam Wing-kee by mainland Chinese authorities, remains a focal point for international observers monitoring the city’s civil liberties. Since the 2019 anti-government protests, the operating environment for shops handling politically sensitive material has become increasingly restricted, leading many to cease operations or shift their inventory to avoid legal scrutiny.
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