‘UNHEALTHY IDEAS’

A Particular Type of Book Has Gone Missing From Hong Kong’s Libraries

Astonishing numbers have reportedly vanished in the last three years.

Books about Tiananmen Square have quietly disappeared from public libraries in Hong Kong, according to a report. Journalists noticed that titles concerning the 1989 Beijing massacre were no longer available after books from a well-known satirical cartoonist were also removed. One report in Hong Kong’s Ming Pao newspaper said that more than 40 percent of video materials and books on “political themes” had been taken out of libraries in the last three years. Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee, defended the crackdown, saying the “government is obliged not to recommend books with unhealthy ideas.” In 2020, Beijing imposed a broad national security law on Hong Kong that has led to reports of repression and censorship. While public memorials to Tiananmen were once permitted in the territory, an annual vigil has been prohibited for the last three years on social distancing grounds. The vigil’s organizers have also been accused of “incitement to subversion” under the security law.