Hong Kong’s John Lee calls using protests as inclusivity gauge ‘narrow-minded’

Hong Kong’s leader has slammed arguments that protests and assemblies can signal a society’s inclusivity as “narrow-minded”, brushing aside a former minister’s suggestion that encouraging such activities can improve the city’s image internationally.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu made the remark on Sunday, two weeks after former housing and transport minister Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said allowing groups to protest could correct misconceptions about the city’s freedoms and political diversity.

“Inclusion should not depend on protests and assemblies. This is a very narrow-minded point of view. There are many ways to express an opinion, such as through seminars – there is no single avenue,” Lee said in a televised interview, without naming Cheung.

“We must remember that some of these events were hijacked in the past. The most important thing is to ensure that others are not affected.”

Large-scale protests and assemblies have become increasingly rare in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed the national security law on the city in 2020, with critics arguing that the legislation has curtailed free speech.

The law prompted several civic groups to disband, while many opposition leaders have been the subject of high-profile criminal trials.

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