The National Security Department raided two bookshops in Mong Kok on Wednesday, arresting five people and seizing a batch of seditious publications, police said.
The two shops – Greenfield Book Store and Have A Nice Stay Bookstore – were allegedly selling seditious publications imported from overseas, with content inciting hatred against the HKSAR government, judicial bodies and law enforcement agencies. Police said the shops had been using "cultural promotion" as a cover to spread anti-government ideology.
According to sources, Have A Nice Stay Bookstore was co-founded by former Chinese University journalism lecturer Sum Wan-wah, who holds a strong anti-government stance, along with four others. The shop stocked books glorifying the 2019 unrest, including works by anti-government politicians such as Bottle Shiu Ka-chun and Emily Lau Wai-hing.
The arrests follow previous cases involving Book Punch and Hunter Bookstore, whose owners were also arrested for selling seditious publications. Hunter Bookstore's operator was additionally arrested for money laundering after receiving multiple remittances from foreign political organisations.
Authorities said these so-called "independent bookshops" have been using the guise of "culture" and "freedom of speech" to sell seditious materials and organise talks targeting young people, spreading anti-government ideology and inciting hatred through cultural infiltration.
