Police officers stopped and searched 15 people on Hong Kong’s Handover anniversary, citing national security and public order. Police vehicles parked in Causeway Bay on July 1, 2026. Photo: P H Yang. The 15, which included five men and 10 women aging from 25 to 73 years old, were stopped in Wan Chai and eastern Hong Kong island on Wednesday, police said in a response to HKFP.
Among them, a 32-year-old man was taken away by police for further investigation after being stopped and searched. He was later released.
“Based on past experience and risk assessments, and in response to the situation and operational needs, the police deployed appropriate manpower on the afternoon of July 1 to safeguard national security, public safety, and public order,” the Chinese-language response read.
The Collective reported that activist Lee Ying-chi, who was arrested for alleged sedition under Hong Kong’s homegrown security law two years ago, was followed by police in Causeway Bay.
Lee was wearing a t-shirt with Mao Zedong’s slogan “serve the people.” Lee Ying-chi. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. She told a reporter from The Collective that she was stopped and searched in the morning when she went swimming in Wan Chai, and that police sent her to the MTR station after she finished swimming. Police officers were also “waiting” for her outside a church at noon, when she arrived to attend a church activity.
Lee said she did not necessarily feel scared, but that she thought police following her was absurd.
“I am tiny and old. What could I possibly do?” Lee told The Collective in Cantonese.
Traditional day of protest
July 1 marked the 29th anniversary of the Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule in 1997. Prior to the enactment of the Beijing-imposed national security law, the day typically saw tens of thousands of Hongkongers taking part in pro-democracy marches. The procession usually started from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, and ended at the government headquarters in Admiralty. Police deployment on July 1, 2020. Photo: May James/HKFP. Hong Kong police banned the traditional march in 2020, citing pandemic-related restrictions at the time. However, thousands of protestors still appeared in Causeway Bay that day amid heavy police deployment. Seventy people were arrested. In full: Timeline: Hong Kong’s July 1 carnival of dissent – how 17 years of protest demands fell silent In 2021, police banned the large-scale march, again citing pandemic restrictions.
That night, a man stabbed a police officer outside Sogo department store before killing himself.
In August that year, pro-democracy group Civil Human Rights Front , which organised some of the biggest pro-democracy demonstrations including the July 1 marches, disbanded.