Hong Kong activist arrests show China is afraid

Beijing is worried pro-democracy candidates could sweep Legislative Council elections

20200423 Jimmy Lai arrest april.jpg

Jimmy Lai, center, the politically vocal owner of the Apple Daily newspaper, is taken away by the police from his home on Apr. 18: China is trying to reassert its power. © AP

Joseph Yu Shek Cheng is a retired political science professor and a long-term activist in Hong Kong.

On April 18 the Hong Kong police arrested 15 prominent pro-democracy activists for organizing and participating in illegal rallies during the anti-government protests that roiled the city in the second half of last year. Four of the 15 were organizers, but the other 11 simply assumed prominent positions in them.

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