Hong Kong public libraries receive 140 reports on ‘objectionable content,' including nat. sec violations

HKFP

4 days ago

Hong Kong public libraries have received around 140 reports from the general public about suspected national security violations and other potentially 'objectionable content' since the reporting mechanism was introduced in 2023.
In response to HKFP's enquiries, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) said on Tuesday that it had received 'around 140 views' from the public since the launch of the 'Collection of Views on Library Collections' mechanism in July 2023.
The department said that if any reported library materials were found to have 'objectionable content' – such as exaggerated violence, pornography, vulgarity, content that endangers national security, or violates Hong Kong laws – they would be withdrawn from the shelves.
According to the Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL) website, the reporting mechanism aims to 'maintain the quality of the collection.' Members of the public can submit their views via an online form, by email, or in person using a paper form.
Those submitting a report are asked to provide the title, author, publisher, and reasons why they believe the item is unsuitable for the collection. They are also required to identify specific content – such as page numbers or text excerpts – and the library branch where the material was found.
The department did not respond to questions about the details of the library materials in question, nor the number of reports linked to suspected national security violations.
Books purged
The LCSD stepped up efforts to scrutinise library materials in the name of safeguarding national security after the Audit Commission advised in April 2023 that greater efforts were needed to ensure collections at government-managed libraries were appropriate and did not contravene the Beijing-imposed security law.
According to the commission, the LCSD had launched a preliminary review of library materials for 'national security risk considerations' in 2021. The HKPL had completed the review of library books, with those deemed 'manifestly contrary' to national security removed.
Chief Executive John Lee said a month after the commission's report that the Hong Kong government has a duty to identify books with 'bad ideologies.' Only titles that reflect values it wishes to foster in society would be recommended by the government, he said.
In 2022, the government cited security reasons for refusing to tell a legislator which books had been removed from public libraries because of the Beijing-imposed national security law. The LCSD said at the time that making the list available 'may lead to wide circulation of such library materials with malicious intent.'
In 2023, local newspaper Ming Pao found removed during the past three years.
It comes after HKFP revealed in 2021 that 29 books about the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown had been axed from libraries.
Monday, June 30, marks five years since Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in 2020 following months-long 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.
Separate from the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city's opposition-free legislature.
The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and 'regressive.' Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to 'close loopholes' after the 2019 protests and unrest.