A mainland scholar has ratcheted up his attack on the Hong Kong Alliance ahead of the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

In an opinion piece published in Sing Tao Daily on Monday, Tian Feilong, an associate professor of law at Beijing’s Beihang University, accused the organizer of Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen vigil of violating the national security law.

Tian alleged that the call to end the one-party dictatorship, one of five operational goals of the Alliance, is subversive and cannot be allowed under the political order established by the national security law. The operational goal has to be amended or removed in compliance with the legal requirement, or the organization has to bear responsibility for resisting the law, he wrote.

The scholar, a key member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, also accused the group of “overstepping boundaries” and endangering national security. From its organization and mission, to its connections and actions, the Alliance “is a symbolic force of dissidents abroad.”

He claimed the group took advantage of the “political heritage” of the 1989 incident, the support of foreign forces and political freedom in Hong Kong.

Tian suggested the Security Bureau demand the group to delete its operational goal and remove any subversive element. If the group refuses to comply, the authorities can find ways to revoke its registration as a society, similar to how the Hong Kong National Party was outlawed.

Speaking on a radio program in response, Richard Tsoi, the Hong Kong Alliance secretary, said Tian’s comments are not based on clear legal grounds and questioned their representativeness.

Tsoi urged Tien to clarify his comments. “I hope as a legal scholar, Tian can support his remarks with clear legal analysis.”

During a press briefing in April, Chief Executive Carrie Lam refused to give a clear answer on whether the slogan, demanding an end to the one-party dictatorship, would constitute a violation of the Beijing-imposed national security law. It depends on the law, the evidence and the act, she said at the time.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play