A prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy group is scaling down as the city accelerates its crackdown on dissidents. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements announced Monday it will halve its size.
The group said it will be letting go of most of its paid staff. The group is best known for its annual rally and candlelight vigil to commemorate those that died in the 1989 protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
The group said half of its 14 remaining steering committee members had decided voluntarily to step down. The members cited "growing political and legal risks" as the reason. Three of the seven that chose to remain with the group are currently in jail on protest charges. They are Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho Chun-yan and Chow Hang-tung.
The group said it would let go of staff to "ensure their safety." Despite this the group said that its operations would continue.
"Regardless of whatever difficulties or challenges we face, the alliance will continue to grit its teeth and move onward one step at a time," the group said in a statement.
Hong Kong's crackdown on anti-government activities went into high gear after the passing of the Beijing-drafted national security law last year. Authorities said the law was a necessary response to the months of often violent protests that gripped the city in 2019.
With the passing of the law, police were quick to round up anti-government groups and opposition leaders, some of which were detained or have since fled abroad. Last month, Hong Kong's last remaining pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was forced to shut down. Several staff members and executives of the proclaimed symbol of pro-democracy were arrested.
Hong Kong authorities have also banned several anti-government mass gatherings. The annual June 4 Tiananmen Square candle vigil and the July 1 pro-democracy march marking the city's return to Chinese rule have been banned for two straight years. Authorities said Covid-19 restrictions were the reason for the bans.
