HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats, one of the city’s last remaining opposition parties after a five-year political crackdown by Beijing, said on Friday that it will disband.
The party was founded in 2006 and was once considered the radical faction in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp. It was known for its boisterous street-level campaigning, often spearheaded by the now-jailed activist “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung.
“Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the League of Social Democrats. However, we will not survive to see that day and will announce our disbandment,“ the LSD said in a message to reporters, adding that more details will be announced Sunday.
It consistently called for greater democracy in Hong Kong and advocated for grassroots causes, criticising social and economic inequalities in a city with one of the world’s largest wealth gaps.
“When the system cannot faithfully represent the people’s demands and becomes a tool for the ruling classes, we must rely on a movement of the masses outside the system to put pressure on those in power,“ LSD wrote on its website.
The party held three seats in Hong Kong’s legislature at its height.
However, its decline began after Beijing imposed a national security law in Hong Kong in 2020 in the wake of massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before.
China and Hong Kong say the law was needed to curb political unrest, while critics say it has quelled dissent and curbed rights.
LSD figurehead Leung was arrested in 2021 and jailed last year as part of a sprawling subversion case involving 47 opposition figures.
The party has held small public protests in recent years, often under heavy police surveillance.
Four members, including current leader Chan Po-ying, were fined this month for displaying a black cloth and raising money “without permits” in street campaigns.
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