Hong Kong libraries have been purged of books relating to Tiananmen Square massacre

Hong Kong leader says that libraries should only stock books that ‘serve the interests’ of the city

File: A woman looks at books in a public library in Hong Kong (AFP via Getty Images)

Hong Kong public libraries have removed most books and documentaries about the deadly 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, in yet another move against free speech.

The purge comes after government auditors last month instructed the city’s public libraries to “step up efforts” to ensure their facilities didn’t carry materials that were "contrary" to national security.

Keywords such as "Tiananmen", "protest", "June 4th" and "revolution" yielded no results when searched on the Hong Kong Public Libraries’ catalog on Tuesday.

Some of the notable books about the crackdown that were no longer available in the libraries included the Chinese-language title “People Won’t Forget” written by 64 Hong Kong journalists and “The Power of Tiananmen” by Chinese sociologist Zhao Dingxin.

A spokesman for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which runs the 71 public libraries in the city, told South China Morning Post that the books were pulled out as they were “not in line with the development” of the service on a regular basis.

“Books with content suspected of breaching the national security law or other local laws are removed immediately for a review,” the spokesperson said.

Hong Kong's leader John Lee defended the purge on Tuesday arguing that libraries should only stock books that "serve the interests of Hong Kong".

"These books are accessible by people in private bookshops. If they want to buy, they can buy," he told reporters.

"What libraries need to do is to ensure that there's no breach of any laws in Hong Kong, including of course, copyrights etc, and also if they spread any kind of messages that are not in the interests of Hong Kong," Mr Lee added, without elaborating.

Critics have accused the Chinese government of throttling dissent and targetting free speech following the implementation of the national security law in 2020.

Two years ago the city’s libraries carried some 120 titles about the crackdown, according to a 2021 Hong Kong Free Press report. Only 26 books were on display at that time, with rest being available on request.

According to the city’s Ming Pao newspaper, more than 40 per cent of video materials and books involving “political themes” have been removed from public libraries since 2020.

A government-backed Audit Commission said in an April report that a government review of library materials had almost been completed of “library books which are manifestly contrary to the interests of national security and removed them from the library collections”.

Public memorials and commemorations of the bloody crackdown in 1989 were once allowed in Hong Kong, unlike mainland China where it is a taboo and censored topic.

However, citing Covid-19 restrictions, the city authorities barred an annual 4 June candlelight vigil from taking place for the past three years. Public monuments, including a “goddess of democracy” statue, have been dismantled from three universities.

Books by prominent pro-democracy activists Jimmy Lai and Joshua Wong, who face charges under the law, have already been pulled from libraries.

Non-political titles, including romance novels by former Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong Chun-yu, an award-winning novel review by Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, and two travelogues by veteran journalist Allan Au Ka-lun, have also been reportedly tragetted by the city administration.