More Books Removed From Public Libraries for Suspected Violation of Hong Kong National Security Law

Hong Kong Central Library. (Sung Pi-Lung/The Epoch Times)

On Oct. 5, Wen Wei Po, a local Hong Kong mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), named seven books in public libraries and accused them of smearing the CCP by “inciting soft confrontation.” The named books and a total of 17 books in the same series have been removed from the shelves.

The books were still available on the adult lending library or reference bookshelf on Oct. 6. However, on Oct. 9, through exploring the public library website, a message showed “No results were found for your search request.”

In response to the Epoch Times inquiry, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) said that all public libraries will, from time to time, review and cancel books that are not in line with the development of their collections, including books that give inaccurate information or include content violating the provisions of Hong Kong law.

Forbidden Books and the Excuses

According to Wen Wei Po, the seven books are:

1. Novel: China Homeland Tour (神州故國遊) by Horace Chin Wan-kan.
2. Cartoon: Warming Water Theater - Hot Party (溫水劇場—高溫派對), by Baak Shui.
3. Cartoon: Warming Water Theater - Welcome to the new era(溫水劇場—歡迎來到新時代), by Baak Shui.
4. Cartoon: Funny Classroom—Primary School Kid Battle, by Kot Sir.
5. Cartoon: Funny Classroom 8 by Kot Sir.
6. Cartoon: Funny Classroom 11 by Kot Sir.
7. Novel: Murder in National Education, by Kot Sir.

Wen Wei Po explained the reasons why the seven books were removed:

• Book one: “smearing mainland people,” for content “I hope Hong Kong will be autonomous in the future.”
• Books two and three: “smearing Communist China, the Hong Kong government and the police force,” “interpret current affairs by anti-Communist China and Hong Kong.”
• Book four, five, six: “insulting the Hong Kong patriotic and political group.”
• Book seven: “smearing that national education is ‘brainwashing education,’” “inciting ‘soft confrontation.’”

According to Hong Kong Secretary for Security, “soft confrontation” refers to inciting hatred, advocating violence, and inflaming intensified emotions through channels such as the media, culture, and art, thereby endangering national security.

Books Removed from School

Under the shadow of the “Hong Kong National Security Law,” the freedom of private access to individual books is restricted. In addition to the public library, some middle schools have removed “sensitive” books from the school library or destroyed them directly to avoid touching the “red line.”

Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, former director of the Education Bureau, pointed out that after the implementation of the “Hong Kong National Security Law,” “schools also have the responsibility to ensure that there will be no books that endanger national security in the school library.”

‘Cultural Revolution’

Wong Wai-kwok, a former assistant professor of politics and international relations at Hong Kong Baptist University, stated that there is already a “migration wave” among civil servants. If this kind of Cultural Revolution-like denouncement continues, it will only make them less cohesive or even cause more civil servants to leave, hindering government governance. He analyzed that behind the current leftist media’s attacks, it reflects that there are no political opponents anymore, so they have shifted their targets to “some government departments that are still a little bit pro-democracy, such as the Fire Services Department and the Labour Department.”