Thread by @this_is_trek

1/ You know I had a draft I meant to tweet Tuesday night about my lament at the complete and utter lack of attention paid to #HongKong and their new national security law. Now in the 2 days since its’ passage there’s been a decent amount of press on it, and fortunately the UK

2/ followed through with expanding the BNO staying limits. That doesn’t help anyone born post-handover, but Taiwan & Australia are opening their doors as well.

I can’t help but imagine what might have changed had there been more upheaval, more press & more pushback against

3/ #China in the days leading up to the law going into effect. Yeah China was likely gonna do what China was gonna do after last year’s constant upset in HK - pre #COVID19 - you knew China was going to crack down. But had the story been more in the lay-public’s conscience,

4/ more countries (and Pols) actively stood with #HongKong, perhaps more of the population would have joined the pro-democracy crowd & pushed back. If an entire city’s populous pushed back against China & the law, would they have been able to crack down this hard? Without fear of

5/ reprisal? They violated their agreement with Great Britain & #HongKongers, eliminated the 1 country 2 systems 22 years early, & curtailed the expanded rights enjoyed by its’ citizens.

I fully realize that by tweeting this, I now come under the risk of penalty of Hong Kong’s

6/ national security law. That’s right. Its’ law covers EVERY person on earth wherever they are. Everyone is subject to a foreign law, even if you’re not in the country at the time.

You ever tweet about the #CCP in an unfavorable light? Speak up for #Uighurs?

7/ Have you ever said that #TiananmenSquareMassacre DID happen? Don’t ever set foot in Hong Kong or mainland China. You’ll likely be black bagged and never be heard from again.

Well you may be heard from again, but you’re likely going to be prosecuted for one of the 4 major

8/ areas the law is supposed to cover: separatism, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign countries.

For anyone who hasn’t been paying attention the last year or so, it’s the death-knell for Hong Kong over pro-democracy protests that were going on until #COVIDー19 hit.

9/ Everyone should #StandWithHongKong. It was a bastion of relative democracy in an authoritarian Red China. I know shit is FUCKED here in the #USA right now, but it’s still okay to pay attention to what goes on elsewhere, and while this is finally getting some press. It’s not

10 (and final)/ NEAR enough.

Oh. I also realize that by tweeting this, I’ve essentially given up my right to go to #HongKong or #China, & be able to not be imprisoned & leave when I want to. While I’d love to visit that country, this takes precedence.

11/ shit I lied. In the first day alone that the law was in effect: 200 people were arrested. Do you think they were all terrorists that were colluding with foreign countries, while trying to subvert their SAR, or is this law just draconian overreach over a region that used to

12/ have a broad degree of freedom less than 24 hours before?

#StandWithHongKong