Why Hong Kong’s firebrand localists have exploded onto the political scene and will they stay united with moderate opposition?

The so-called resistance bloc is mainly composed of activists in last year’s anti-government protests and student leaders of the 2014 Occupy movement

Localists have gained the upper hand in the opposition camp in recent years rather than being sidelined following government disqualifications

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Activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung (left) with localist candidates at a press conference on the democratic primary election. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 10:00am, 1 Aug 2020Updated: 11:23am, 1 Aug 2020

A mass disqualification of prominent figures in Hong Kong’s opposition on Thursday was a stunning blow to the camp but now the threat of fragmentation could also lie ahead, insiders warned.

That was the unspoken fear among senior democrats as they mulled their fate after 12 election hopefuls were banned from contesting the now-postponed Legislative Council polls that were due to be held on September 6.

Those banned were not just localists known for their confrontational politics, but also three incumbent legislators from the Civic Party and Kenneth Leung from the accountancy sector, long regarded as moderates even if they were seen as more vocal in recent months.

Returning officers who banned them set new red lines in defining whether they were upholding the Basic Law and would be loyal to the city. Those who had objected to the new sweeping national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong were turfed out, along with aspirants deemed to have called for foreign sanctions or had vowed to block government budgets.

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Hong Kong Legislative Council elections postponed by a year

Stunned but claiming to be unbowed, activists across the democratic spectrum vowed they would continue their battle, with some sending in second-rung candidates before nominations closed on Friday, with others waiting to see how long the elections could be postponed and planning how to regroup.

The camp had done well in last November’s district council elections, sweeping 17 out of 18 councils, riding on the back of anti-government sentiments of the months-long protests.

Why Hong Kong’s firebrand localists have exploded onto the political scene and will they stay united with moderate opposition?

The so-called resistance bloc is mainly composed of activists in last year’s anti-government protests and student leaders of the 2014 Occupy movement Localists have gained the upper hand in the opposition camp in recent years rather than being sidelined following government disqualifications

The so-called resistance bloc is mainly composed of activists in last year’s anti-government protests and student leaders of the 2014 Occupy movement

Localists have gained the upper hand in the opposition camp in recent years rather than being sidelined following government disqualifications