Lawmaker Sounds Terrorism Alert Over Film Screenings

DAB lawmaker Holden Chow warned on Wednesday that the pro-democracy Confederation of Trade Unions (CTU) could be violating the national security law with its private screenings of three documentaries on the social unrest of 2019.

Chow said the group could be seen as "promoting terrorism".

He was speaking to reporters after the pro-government Headline newspaper reported that the CTU is organising screenings for its members this month of "Inside the Red Brick Wall", "Eternal Springs in the Mountains" and "Taking Back the Legislature".

The three films focus on the police siege of Polytechnic University, clashes at Chinese University, and the storming of Legco.

A post about the screenings on CTU's Facebook account says: "After a year, the siege has not disappeared. Although the words in the streets were wiped and the fires were put out, our memories of the struggles will not be erased."

Chow called for the authorities to take action against the group.

"Events to incite serious violence, riots or causing subversion are all prohibited if you read article 24 to 27 of the national security law. I think ... these people who organised these events might be against the law and I urge the police to take swift law enforcement action," he said.

The Beijing loyalist questioned whether the CTU was trying to promote terrorism, subversion and incite serious crimes through the screenings, which he said could threaten national security.

The documentaries have not been banned by the authorities.

The CTU's secretary-general, Mung Siu-tat, said Chow's allegations were nothing but nonsense and the screenings would continue.

"They have been launching a cultural revolution to criticise people holding different political opinions. I think that's very worrying. The freedoms we still enjoy are being eroded," he said.

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