First arrests made in Hong Kong under the new security law.

Hong Kong police arrested over 70 people during protests, including two people for breaching the new security law.

Hong Kong police arrested over 70 people during protests, including two people for breaching the new security law. Hundreds of people protested in Hong Kong after China's central government imposed the national security law in Hong Kong. The new legislation gives China new powers over Hong Kong, which legal experts and critics believe will be used by China to curtail protests and freedom of speech. The protests in Hong Kong's iconic Causeway Bay were met with a heavy security presence. Riot police fired pepper spray into the crowd, kettled and dispersed protesters, and deployed water cannons. The police arrested almost 70 people arrested, with two on suspicion of violating the national security law. One was a man holding a black independence flag, and another was a woman who held a sign which read 'Hong Kong Independence.'

The new legislation criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign powers. People convicted of such crimes can face sentences of up to life in prison, and many believe that this law will be used retrospectively to arrest people who protested in 2019.

CNN reported that many protestors fear that they could be targeted under the new law, and in response, several political and activist groups in the city formally disbanded in advance of the law. Shopkeepers tore down posters that supported anti-government protests, and many citizens hastily deleted social media posts and accounts.