Police Warn Protesters To Stop 'inciting Secession'

Police issued a statement on Wednesday saying some people had been inciting others to "commit secession" by chanting a pro-independence slogan in the streets.

Amid much uncertainty among the public and even officials as to what specific acts the city's new national security law prohibits, police warned that such slogans are "suspected" to now be illegal.

"At around 1pm today, some people gathered in the vicinity of East Point Road in Causeway Bay and chanted 'Hong Kong independence, the only way out', a slogan suspected to be inciting or abetting others to commit secession and may therefore violate the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (National Security Law)," the force said.

"Police have already raised the purple warning flag and issued repeated warnings to the crowd, clearly stating that chanting such slogan may constitute an offence under the National Security Law."

The purple flag the force referred to reads "You are displaying flags or banners / chanting slogans / or conducting yourselves with an intent such as secession or subversion which may constitute offences under the 'HKSAR National Security Law'. You may be arrested and prosecuted."

On Wednesday morning, Basic Law Committee member Albert Chen said on an RTHK programme that chanting slogans or waving placards would not breach the new national security law.

Officers did not take action earlier in the day when during a protest by the League of Social Democrats activists called for an end to one-party rule on the mainland.