League of Social Democrats, one of Hong Kong's last pro-democracy groups, to disband

HKFP

4 days ago

The League of Social Democrats (LSD), one of Hong Kong's last remaining pro-democracy groups, will soon disband, a source familiar with the matter has told HKFP.
The political party will make an announcement about its shutdown on Sunday, the Hong Kong Economic Journal, a local newspaper, reported on Wednesday.
In the LSD's WhatsApp group for reporters, the party's chairperson Chan Po-ying wrote in Chinese: 'Thank you all for your concern about whether the LSD will disband. For now, please understand [we] will not be making any comments.'
News of the LSD's reported disbandment comes days before the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law on June 30 and the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China on July 1.
Founded in 2006, the LSD is known for advocating democratic reform and supporting the grassroots. It formerly had representation in the Legislative Council and the District Councils before an overhaul in 2021 effectively barred members of the opposition from standing.
Third party to disband
Since Beijing imposed a national security law in Hong Kong in 2020, dozens of political and civil society groups have dissolved.
The LSD's looming disbandment will make it the third major pro-democracy party to meet its end in recent years.
The Civic Party folded in March 2024. The Democratic Party, the city's largest opposition group with 30 years of history, announced in February that it would begin steps to disband.
Even as public advocacy efforts have largely disappeared from Hong Kong's streets, the LSD has continued to make its presence known. It still holds small-scale petitions and invites reporters for coverage, most recently marking Labour Day outside the government headquarters with calls for more protection for the city's working class.
Earlier this month, three LSD members, including Chan, were fined up to HK$6,600 after being found guilty of raising funds and displaying posters in public without a permit in 2023.
During mitigation, vice-chair Dickson Chau said the LSD was the last activist group still setting up street booths to express its views in the city.
'We only want more people in society to express their views to the government. Unfortunately, the government's response is prosecution,' he said in Cantonese.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.