Timeline of reactions to the 2020 Hong Kong national security law (April 2021)
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The city held its first National Security Education Day after the national security law had come into force. Chief Executive Carrie Lam emphasized that the law had helped Hong Kong to emerge from the "dark violence" of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. National Security Committee Adviser Luo Huining also gave a speech. Even very young children were photographed handling toy weapons, which drew criticism.
Journalist Bao Choy was convicted of having made false statements in order to obtain public records about car licensing plates. Choy had requested these for a documentation about the 2019 Yuen Long attack which public broadcaster RTHK aired in 2020. The conviction was seen by journalist groups as a sign of shrinking press freedom in the city. Proclamations by police chief Chris Tang about the government intending to target "fake news" were considered by some to be an ill-defined notion and pointing in the same direction.
Seven veteran pro-democracy activists were sentenced for organizing and participating in a large unauthorized march on August 18, 2019. There were also a number of other convictions in relation to the protests of 2019.
As the government took steps to implement the 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes enacted by the National People's Congress, pro-establishment politicians floated the idea of making blank voting illegal, although this was considered either impractical or otherwise problematic by others.