The Hong Kong Youth Care Association (HKYCA), a controversial organization closely tied to China’s “610 Office,” has escalated its longstanding efforts to target Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong. Since its establishment in 2012, the HKYCA has acted as a front for the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement that has been banned in mainland China but remains legal in Hong Kong. The group’s aggressive tactics, which include harassing practitioners and disrupting their peaceful public truth-clarification activities, have sparked public outcry and raised concerns about the erosion of Hong Kong’s freedoms under the new national security law.
The HKYCA’s operations have included setting up mock mourning halls and slandering Falun Gong with defamatory displays in prominent areas such as Causeway Bay, where practitioners often hold public demonstrations to educate the public about the CCP’s ongoing persecution of their community. These actions have not only sparked fear among Falun Gong practitioners but have also raised alarm among local residents and human rights organizations about the increasing suppression of religious and political freedoms in the city.
Despite numerous complaints from Falun Gong members and the local public, law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong, including the police, have been criticized for their inaction in addressing the unlawful activities of the HKYCA. In some instances, police have even turned a blind eye to the harassment and violence perpetrated by the group against peaceful practitioners. The situation has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate about the future of Hong Kong’s autonomy, as the city grapples with the implications of Beijing’s tightening grip through the national security law.
The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) has condemned the HKYCA’s actions and launched an investigation into the individuals involved in these ongoing incidents of harassment and violence. WOIPFG has also called for international attention to the suppression of Falun Gong in Hong Kong, urging the international community to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
The HKYCA, which presents itself as a youth-focused group, has been accused of using coercive and underhanded methods to undermine Falun Gong activities, including using loudspeakers to broadcast slanderous messages and attempting to provoke confrontations. These acts have, at times, led to violent clashes between Falun Gong practitioners and HKYCA members, often in the presence of law enforcement officials who fail to intervene.
Human rights groups and local activists have warned that the actions of the HKYCA are indicative of the broader trend of growing authoritarianism in Hong Kong, fueled by Beijing’s efforts to dismantle the city’s freedoms. As Hong Kong’s once-thriving civil society faces increasing repression, the struggle for religious and political freedoms continues to intensify, with Falun Gong practitioners at the forefront of resistance against CCP-led persecution.
Calls for Action
With Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong facing growing threats to their safety and freedoms, the international community is being urged to speak out against these human rights violations. The case of the HKYCA’s campaign against Falun Gong highlights the larger battle for autonomy and basic freedoms in Hong Kong, with global ramifications for human rights advocacy in the region.
For more updates on this story, stay tuned.
