Staff Writer Julien Yuen reports from Hong Kong as the city marks 28 years since the handover and five years since the National Security Law, with muted protests, a heavy police presence and a surge in state-backed patriotic displays.

Hong Kong was a British colony until 1 July 1997, which allowed the city to develop a different political and economic system from the People’s Republic of China. As part of a deal between the UK and China, Hong Kong was promised a high degree of autonomy from mainland China for at least 50 years upon the handover.

1 July 2025 marked the 28th anniversary of the UK transferring the sovereignty of Hong Kong to China. The day also marks the 5th anniversary of the controversial National Security Law (NSL), introduced in 2020, which has been criticised for quashing political dissent in the city.

Historical Day for Annual Protests

Historically, 1 July had been a day for annual protest rallies advocating for democracy, rights and universal suffrage in Hong Kong.

Activist groups attempted to organise rallies in 2020 and 2021, where in both years the police banned such gatherings for the first time, citing concerns for the pandemic and, subsequently, national security.

The rally in 2020 saw the first arrests made under the NSL. Despite police objections, crowds still gathered in protest hotspots around the Causeway Bay area of the city. Ten were arrested under the NSL and another 370 for other reasons. Police used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets against both protestors and journalists.

Since then, despite protests being muted, rally hotspots across the city have seen heavy police presence to prevent protests. The police counter terrorism response unit, armoured vehicles and tactical buses have also been deployed.

What Happened This Year

Police presence continue to be heavy while protests remain muted. Parts of Great George Street, which is usually pedestrianised on public holidays and a regular hotspot for activist groups to set up stalls, have been barricaded by the police.

While protests have been muted, one elderly woman was seen protesting for labour rights alone in the area during the afternoon. She was surrounded and recorded by police officers, journalists and some civilians.

In the evening, a few individuals arrived at Causeway Bay dressed in black, with yellow umbrellas and slogans which are often associated with the 2019-20 Pro-Democracy Movement. A woman was taken onto a police tactical bus while others were searched and escorted away by the police.

This 1 July also saw increased patriotic decorations across the city. Parks, public libraries, government buildings and buildings of Chinese state-owned banks were decorated with Chinese and Hong Kong flags. Some displayed banners celebrating the handover and the NSL.

Victoria Park, a protest hotspot, was used to host an exhibition with panda statues, which appears to be in line with Hong Kong’s head of government John Lee’s ‘panda economy’ strategy in which pandas are used as a draw for tourism. The exhibition was fenced off and civilians could only enter through two entrances where bags were checked for security.