A Hong Kong police drill team showed off its new goose step march Thursday during National Security Education Day, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The lock-knee goose-stepping is a departure from the bent-knee British style, which had long been the norm.
The drill squad was watched by hundreds of people seated on bleachers to view the police academy parade and celebrate National Security Education Day and came 10 months after Beijing initiated a major crackdown on dissents in the city, the newspaper said.
Hong Kong police seen marching in goose step formed the most potent symbol of Beijing’s influence, the Journal said, noting it became the focal point of the day.
Vendors sold national-security memorabilia such as police teddy bears and figurines of riot police in gas masks.
According to the newspaper, word had leaked out earlier that the police had been instructed by China’s People’s Liberation Army in their marching technique.
When the marching portion was finished, police demonstrated their readiness to battle potential terrorists. Men wearing hooded sweatshirts jumped out of the crowd and started firing blanks from rifles in a mock attack, the Journal said.
“I thought it was excellent,” said Rebecca Ho. “We are learning that everyone needs to work to protect the family and security and prosperity of Hong Kong.”
But Avery Ng, an activist facing charges for protest disorder said: “This whole nationalistic Education Day is to brainwash the children into thinking we are in imminent danger and to encourage fear among the public to justify the national security law and sweep away our freedoms.”
Meanwhile, seven of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy leaders, including an 82-year-old veteran of the movement, were convicted April 1 for organizing and participating in a march during anti-government protests in 2019 that sparked a crackdown on dissent, The Associated Press reported.
Six of the seven defendants had marched with a banner that criticized police and called for reforms as they left Victoria Park on Aug. 18, 2019, the AP reported.
An estimated 1.7 million people had marched to oppose a bill that would have allowed suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial. The legislation was eventually withdrawn.
Lee Cheuk-yan, a former lawmaker who was among those convicted April 1’expressed disappointment in the verdict.
“We are firm that we have the right to assemble,” he said. “It is our badge of honor to be in jail for walking together with the people of Hong Kong.”
Source: Newmax
