Martin Lee, the founding chairperson of the Democratic Party who helped draft Hong Kong’s de facto constitution, said the upcoming national security law was unnecessary, and that he was prepared to go to jail.

China is to impose a new national security law in Hong Kong using its rubber stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress, without going through local procedures at the Legislative Council.

Lee, 82, said in an interview with local broadcaster TVB that the new law may harm his lobbying work overseas, but he would not leave Hong Kong.

“Who is in the wrong here? The central government violated the Sino-British Joint Declaration by not granting Hong Kong people a high degree of autonomy. Why shouldn’t I stand and fight?” he said.

He said existing laws in Hong Kong have already covered the “riotous acts” as claimed by the government, as more than 8,000 have been arrested and more than a thousand people have been sent to court for trial.

Lee was arrested in April on suspicion of unlawful assembly. He said he was relieved after the arrest as he now shared the same burden as young people. He said he felt regretful for young people since he was arrested twice after the 2014 Umbrella Movement but was not charged.

“I am ready for jail. It shouldn’t be the case that young people go to jail and we don’t have to,” he said.

He said the local legislation of the national security law, or Article 23 in the Basic Law, failed in 2003, and the administrations and pro-Beijing politicians had not wanted to resume the process, fearing the loss of votes. He said the 2003 version would harm the rights enshrined in the Basic Law thus his party opposed it.

Concerning the details of the law, Lee said speeches and acts without seditious intent should be considered within freedom of expression and not unlawful. He said protests only happened because the government failed to give people democracy, and Beijing kept on interfering in Hong Kong affairs.

Lee added that young people in Hong Kong should seek international support as they would not be able to fight with the police on a physical level.

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