The pro-Beijing newspaper Tai Kung Pao, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government in Hong Kong, has issued articles criticising “Western” religions and Falun Gong, and attacking religious leaders and teachers for inciting people to participate in demonstrations.

One article published on 27 January claims that churches, clergymen and “cults” like Falun Gong have registered as NGOs or companies to avoid government regulations, making it difficult for the government to regulate or eliminate them despite their “many crimes”. It goes on to accuse teachers from Christian schools of inciting students to participate in the 2019 pro-democracy demonstrations, which the article describes as “riots”.

The article specifically targets Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, accusing him of disrupting Hong Kong and receiving over 20 million Hong Kong dollars [GBP 1.89 million] from Jimmy Lai, the imprisoned founder of the pro-democracy media Apple Daily. Falun Gong practitioners are accused of participating in the demonstrations and inciting young people to engage in violent activities.

Another article issued on 27 January focuses on remarks by the provincial secretary general of the Anglican Church in Hong Kong, Reverend Peter Koon. It quotes Reverend Koon on a number of issues, including criticising the involvement of clergy in the 2019 demonstrations, calling for the amendment of the Chinese Temple Ordinance, which regulates Buddhist and Taoist monasteries, and for a department or official to be designated for overseeing religion in Hong Kong. Taken together these comments appear to amount to a call for greater management of religious activities by the authorities.

A third article published on 28 January cites Lawrence Ma, the executive director of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, as calling on the government to abrogate the current Chinese Temple Ordinance and re-establish new regulations. Ma also criticises “Western” religions, which he considers incompatible with traditional Chinese culture, for encouraging people to “forget their ancestors”. The article also condemns religious leaders for glorifying anti-government behaviour, and sees Ma calling for the eradication of the Falun Gong movement.

While some religious leaders agree that it is necessary to update regulations concerning religion in Hong Kong, in particular the Chinese Temple Ordinance, the overt attacks on religion or belief communities in these articles, often linking them to “anti-government violence”, are a cause for grave concern. Calls for Hong Kong to align with mainland China in its treatment of religions are especially disturbing given the nationwide decline in freedom of religion or belief under Xi Jinping.

In addition, since the introduction of the National Security Law in June 2020, there has been a shocking deterioration in the level of media freedom in Hong Kong, as well as arrests and imprisonment of protesters, journalists and activists, some of whom are also members of religious communities. In 2021, mainland Chinese bishops and religious leaders briefed senior Hong Kong Catholic clergymen on Xi Jinping's vision of religion with "Chinese characteristics," in an unprecedented meeting that clerics described as “Beijing's most assertive move yet in its attempts to influence Hong Kong’s diocese”, according to Reuters.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: “These attacks on religious leaders and groups in Hong Kong are deeply concerning and need to be taken seriously. We only need to look at mainland China to see Chinese Communist Party’s approach to freedom of religion or belief, and indeed the rights to freedom of expression and association and peaceful assembly. These articles are even more alarming because of the lack of space for religious communities to respond; such is the fear of reprisals that no-one knows exactly what can be ‘safely’ expressed online or offline in Hong Kong. We call on the authorities to bring legislation, policy and practice in line with international protections for the right to freedom of religion or belief, including those articulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

These developments come as the 2022 Beijing Olympics opens in China amid vocal concerns and protests by human rights organisations around the world. On 28 January CSW joined over 240 groups in issuing a statement calling for governments to join a diplomatic boycott of the Games, and urging athletes and sponsors not to legitimise government abuse. The statement draws attention to mass abuses against Uyghurs, Tibetans, ethnic groups, and believers from all independent faith groups, as well as persecution of human rights activists, feminists, lawyers, journalists and others.