More than the Wuhan coronavirus is raging in Hong Kong!

We have taken to masking our faces; how long before

we feel obliged to mask our thoughts too?

For how much longer can and will Hong Kong be

a place where creativity can be found and

the imagination is allowed run free?

For most of today and yesterday, attention looked to have swung from what's happening to Hong Kong in the wake of the passing of China's national security legislation for it back to the Wuhan coronavirus on account of Hong Kong now being in the throes of a third wave.  Yesterday was Hong Kong's worst day on record to date with regards to the pandemic (with 42 cases recorded in a single day; 34 of them local infections).  And today has seen 38 new cases recorded; of which 32 are local transmissions.   

Accordingly, restrictions on restaurant and bar capacities have been reintroduced and local schools will close early this year -- with students having that last day of the school year being today.  And with coronavirus fears returning (and the wearing of masks continuing to be stressed), it also was noteworthy news that some of the disposable masks that the government has been handing out to the public may not be up to standard and, also, that the pan-democratic challenge against the ridiculous mask ban brought about last October by Carrie Lam has moved to the Court of Appeal. 

But late this evening came some news that has put the challenge to Hong Kong's freedoms (and the question of whether Hong Kong has become a police state) back into focus: The Hong Kong police's raid on a major polling organization's office the day before the democratic camp is due to hold primaries ahead of the Legislative Council elections this September.

For the record: the police stated that their action was in response to recent complaints that people's personal details, including those of police officers, were leaked. They also said they suspect that Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) computers may have been hacked (which looks to be the justification for their seizing all of the organization's computers.  Correction/Update: it seemed that the police had wanted to do this but were successly prevented from doing so by PORI's legal team).  

So, officially, all this has nothing to do with PORI being a co-organizer of this weekend’s democratic camp primaries (which Hong Kong's consitutional affairs minister had alleged might violate the new security law, only to have his remarks dismissed by at least one pro-Beijing legislative councillor as well as pan-democrat legislators).

In turn, PORI has moved to assure the public that the primaries can go ahead as planned and the organization's technical ability to carry out the vote is unaffected as the computers that have been seized aren't those used for the voting.  Now, though, the question is whether these shennanigans will negatively (or positively?) affect the participation level for the weekend's primaries.  Put another way: will they scare people off taking part in the planned event or will they spark more people to take part to show their (continued) defiance and support of those who still are not letting go of their democratic dreams for Hong Kong?

One bit of irony that can't go unmentioned: The question on the most recent PORI poll happened to be "Is Hong Kong still a free city?" And the results, released -- as it so happened -- earlier today, had 61% of respondents answering in the negative (and just 32% answering "yes").  They/we know; but Hong Kongers still are not giving up on doing such as speaking out.  We are not going quietly as well as gently into the night; rather, we intend to rage, rage against the dying of the light.