Chan Po-ying, chair of Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats hosts a press conference to announce the party’s dissolution amid China’s national security law, in Hong Kong

Chan Po-ying, chair of Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats hosts a press conference to announce the party’s dissolution amid China’s national security law, in Hong Kong

By James Pomfret and Jessie Pang

HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats said on Sunday that it would disband amid “immense political pressure” from a five year-long national security crackdown, leaving the China-ruled city with no formal pro-democracy opposition presence.

The LSD becomes the third major opposition party to shutter in Hong Kong in the past two years.

Co-founded in 2006 by former lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung as a radical wing of the pro-democracy camp, the LSD is the last group in Hong Kong to stage small protests this year.

Mass public gatherings and marches spearheaded by political and civil society groups had been common in Hong Kong until 2020, but the threat of prosecution has largely shut down organized protests since.

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China imposed a national security law on the former British colony in 2020, punishing offences like subversion with possible life imprisonment following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

A second set of laws, known as Article 23, was passed in 2024 by the city’s pro-Beijing legislature covering crimes such as sedition and treason.

Current chair Chan Po-ying said the group had been “left with no choice” and after considering the safety of party members had decided to shutdown. Chan declined to specify what pressures they had faced.

“We have endured hardships of internal disputes and the near total imprisonment of our leadership while witnessing the erosion of civil society, the fading of grassroots voices, the omnipresence of red lines and the draconian suppression of dissent,” Chan told reporters, while flanked by six other core members including Tsang Kin-shing, Dickson Chau, Raphael Wong, Figo Chan and Jimmy Sham.

In February, the Democratic Party, the city’s largest and most popular opposition party, announced it would disband. Several senior members told Reuters they had been warned by Beijing that a failure to do so would mean serious consequences including possible arrests.

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Earlier this month, China’s top official on Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong, stressed national security work must continue as hostile forces were still interfering in the city.

“We must clearly see that the anti-China and Hong Kong chaos elements are still ruthless and are renewing various forms of soft resistance,” Xia said in a speech in Hong Kong.

The League of Social Democrats is one of Hong Kong’s smaller pro-democracy groups known for its more aggressive tactics and street protests in its advocacy of universal suffrage and grassroots causes including a universal pension scheme. In a 2016 incident, Leung threw a round object at former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying inside the legislature.

Three LSD members were fined on June 12 by a magistrate for setting up a street booth where a blank black cloth was displayed and money was collected in public without official permission. Chan told reporters that the party had no assets to divest and no funds left after several of its bank accounts were shut down in 2023.

While never as popular as the more moderate Democratic Party and Civic Party, it gained three seats in a 2008 legislative election – its best showing.

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The LSD’s founder Leung, 69, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021 in the landmark ’47 Democrats’ case. He is currently serving a sentence of six years and nine months in prison. Another member, Jimmy Sham, was also jailed in the same case and released in May.

The security laws have been criticised as a tool of repression by the U.S. and Britain, but China says they have restored stability with 332 people so far arrested under these laws.

“I hope that the people of Hong Kong will continue to pay attention to the vulnerable, and they will continue to speak out for injustice,” Figo Chan said.

(Reporting by James Pomfret and Jessie Pang; Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Kim Coghill)

The League of Social Democrats, once spearheaderd by activist ‘Long Hair’ Leung Kwok-hung and one of Hong Kong’s last opposition parties, said it will disband.

Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats, one of the city’s last remaining opposition parties after a five-year political crackdown by Beijing, said Friday that it will disband.

The party was founded in 2006 and was once considered the radical faction in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp. It was known for its boisterous street-level campaigning, often spearheaded by the now-jailed activist “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung.

However, its decline was hastened after Beijing imposed a national security law in Hong Kong in 2020 in the wake of massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before.

Read moreAnger as China passes controversial Hong Kong security law

“Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the League of Social Democrats. However, we will not survive to see that day and will announce our disbandment,” the LSD said in a message to reporters, adding that more details would be announced Sunday.

The LSD consistently called for greater democracy in Hong Kong and advocated for grassroots causes, criticising social and economic inequalities in a city with one of the world’s largest wealth gaps.

“When the system cannot faithfully represent the people’s demands and becomes a tool for the ruling classes, we must rely on a movement of the masses outside the system to put pressure on those in power,” LSD wrote on its website.

The party held three seats in Hong Kong’s legislature at its height.

It seized the spotlight in 2008 when then-party leader Raymond Wong threw bananas at Hong Kong’s leader during his annual policy speech, protesting against welfare cuts.

The party’s firebrand image diminished in the late 2010s, however, when younger, more radical parties emerged to contest China’s rule.

Then came the 2020 national security law, which China and Hong Kong argue was needed to curb political unrest but critics say has been used to quell dissent and erode rights.

Subversion case

LSD figurehead Leung was arrested in 2021 and jailed last year as part of a sprawling subversion case involving 47 opposition figures.

The party has held small public protests in recent years, often under heavy police surveillance.

Read moreHong Kong sentences 45 pro-democracy campaigners to prison terms

Four members, including current leader Chan Po-ying, were fined this month for raising money in street campaigns “without permits”.

Dickson Chau, an LSD vice-chairperson, told the court during their trial the activists hoped to promote social progress but “unfortunately, the government’s response is prosecution”.

LSD activists are among the handful of remaining Hong Kongers who still publicly mark the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown after such commemorations were banned by the government.

Scores of civil society groups have closed since the national security law came into effect, with hundreds of activists arrested, jailed or in exile.

Hong Kong’s legislature is now opposition-free after authorities revamped electoral rules in 2021 so only “patriots” could hold office.

The Democratic Party announced this year that it has begun a formal shutdown process. The Civic Party closed its doors in 2023.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

The League of Social Democrats, a pro-democracy party with a 19-year history, has announced it will hold a press conference Sunday to announce its disbandment, signaling the disappearance of pro-democracy parties from Hong Kong’s political landscape.

“Next year would have marked the 20th anniversary of our founding, but we will not make it to that day,” LSD said in a media notice on Friday. “We are announcing our dissolution.”

A source told RFA Cantonese that LSD was warned several times, beginning in April, that it must dissolve before July 1 or risk being forcibly disbanded.

Incumbent LSD chairperson Chan Po-ying has previously declined to comment. On Friday, she again said she would not respond before the press conference.

“No Resistance, No Change”

Founded in 2006, LSD’s slogan was “No resistance, no change.” The party made headlines in 2008 when it secured three seats in the Legislative Council with Wong Yuk-man, Leung Kwok-hung, and Albert Chan, becoming the third-largest pro-democracy party. Known for its confrontational style, LSD lawmakers famously threw bananas at then-Chief Executive Donald Tsang during a LegCo session, becoming a symbol of the city’s radical democrats. Outside the legislature, LSD organized and participated in numerous protests and civil disobedience campaigns.

In 2009, LSD and the Civic Party launched the “Five Constituencies Referendum” campaign, in which five lawmakers resigned and re-contested their seats to demand universal suffrage. All five, including LSD’s Leung Kwok-hung, Wong Yuk-man, and Albert Chan, and Civic Party’s Alan Leong and Tanya Chan, were re-elected in the May 2010 by-election.

hong-kong-league-social-democrats-china Pro-democracy activists Chung Yiu-wa, Cheung Say-yin, former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat, baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, 74, law professor Benny Tai, 54, sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 59, lawmakers Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun, and League of Social Democrats vice-chairman Raphael Wong, chant before entering the West Kowloon Magistrates Court in Hong Kong on Nov. 19, 2018. (Anthony Wallace/AFP)

Legislative filibusters and internal splits

In 2011, LSD launched a “vote repayment” campaign targeting the Democratic Party for its role in pushing forward Beijing-approved electoral reforms. Internal disagreements over strategy led to a split, with Wong Yuk-man and Albert Chan forming People Power. Leung Kwok-hung then took over as LSD chair. The party retained only one LegCo seat in the 2012 and 2016 elections but continued legislative filibusters and budget protest actions alongside People Power.

In 2016, Leung Kwok-hung was disqualified from LegCo for holding a yellow umbrella and tearing up a copy of the NPC’s “831” decision during his oath-taking. Since then, LSD has had no seats in the legislature but continued grassroots activism and protest actions.

Leung Kwok-hung still imprisoned

Many LSD members have served jail time for civil disobedience. Leung Kwok-hung, now 69, remains in prison as a defendant in the 47 democrats’ national security case. LSD vice-chair Jimmy Sham, also one of the 47, was released last month after serving his sentence.

Even after other pro-democracy parties such as the Democratic Party and Civic Party disbanded, LSD continued street actions under the National Security Law era — addressing issues like labor importation and minimum wage.

Earlier this year, the party planned a protest outside government headquarters on Budget Day but canceled due to “immense pressure.” Some LSD members also had their bank accounts frozen or closed, and several were charged for “unauthorized fundraising in public” and “unauthorized display of posters.”

Edited by Greg Barber

Chan Po-ying, chair of Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats, along with party members, hosts a press conference to announce the party’s dissolution amid China’s national security law, in Hong Kong, China, June 29, 2025. TYRONE SIU / REUTERS

One of Hong Kong’s last remaining opposition parties has officially disbanded, its leader announced on Sunday, June 29, citing “immense political pressure” as Beijing’s years-long crackdown on dissent transforms the semi-autonomous Chinese city. The League of Social Democrats (LSD), founded in 2006, championed democratization and grassroots issues in Hong Kong’s legislature and on the streets.

Its lawmakers were known for their colorful heckling and symbolic protests in legislative sessions, which included lobbing bananas and fish sandwiches. It is the latest opposition party to cease operating after Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 to end democracy protests that had brought the financial hub to a standstill.

“In the face of immense political pressure and after careful deliberation – particularly with regard to the consequences for our members and comrades – we have made the difficult decision to disband,” LSD said in a statement. Party chair Chan Po-ying said the decision had been unanimous as the group had “no other choice.” Asked if pressure had come from Beijing’s middlemen, Chan declined to elaborate.

Democratic dreams dashed

At the height of its popularity in 2008, LSD held just three seats, but it was responsible for helping mainstream a more radical pro-democracy agenda. After the imposition of the national security law, the city’s political opposition dwindled, with most democracy campaigners jailed or overseas. The Civic Party closed in 2023 and in February, the Democratic Party began winding down.

Read more Subscribers only In Hong Kong, the gradual erosion of the rule of law

Regina Ip, convenor of the Hong Kong government’s cabinet, told Agence France-Presse last week that it was a “good thing” that these opposition parties were disbanding. “All these parties have done great damage to Hong Kong and to the proper functioning of the Legislative Council,” she said.

Authorities have since overhauled the electoral system to ensure only Beijing loyalists can hold office. Chan said she had no “false hope” of liberalization. “I don’t think Hong Kong will go forward to the democratic system in the near future,” she said.

According to the party, its bank accounts were closed in 2023, which added to operational difficulties. Six party members have been jailed over the past five years, including Chan’s husband and one of LSD’s founding members, “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung. He remains behind bars after being found guilty of subversion last year in Hong Kong’s largest national security trial.

‘Domino effect’

Another LSD member jailed in the same case, Jimmy Sham, was released from prison last month. At the press conference, he described the group as Hong Kong’s first political party to incorporate LGBTQ+ equality as part of its core platform. “I sincerely hope that in the future, there will still be voices in society that speak out for the marginalized,” Sham added.

In recent years, LSD had limited its public activities to a Sunday street booth in a shopping district where a handful of activists handed out flyers while filmed by police. Vice-chairperson Dickson Chau recalled that some passersby would show their support by making small gestures, such as offering him a friendly nod or a beverage.

But operating in the current political environment has taken a personal toll. “These four years, I constantly worry about someone (knocking on) my door to arrest me or do a house search… and when I just walk around the streets, I need to worry, is it a sensitive date?” Chan warned of a “domino effect,” saying that her group would not be the last to fold. She urged the public “on the one hand to survive, and on the other hand to try to exercise our rights as citizens.”

Pro-democracy lawmaker Leung Kwok Hung (third from left), also known as “Long Hair”, at a protest in Hong Kong in 2017. PHOTO: AFP

One of Hong Kong’s last opposition parties says it will disband

– Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats (LSD), one of the city’s last remaining opposition parties after a five-year political crackdown by Beijing, said on June 27 that it will disband.

The party was founded in 2006 and was once considered the radical faction in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp. It was known for its boisterous street-level campaigning, often spearheaded by the now-jailed activist “Long Hair” Leung Kwok Hung.

But its decline was hastened after Beijing imposed a national security law in Hong Kong in 2020 in the wake of massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before.

“Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the League of Social Democrats. However, we will not survive to see that day and will announce our disbandment,” the party said in a message to reporters, adding that more details would be announced on June 29.

The LSD consistently called for greater democracy in Hong Kong and advocated for grassroots causes, criticising social and economic inequalities in a city with one of the world’s largest wealth gaps.

“When the system cannot faithfully represent the people’s demands and becomes a tool for the ruling classes, we must rely on a movement of the masses outside the system to put pressure on those in power,” LSD wrote on its website.

The party held three seats in Hong Kong’s legislature at its height.

It seized the spotlight in 2008 when then party leader Raymond Wong threw bananas at Hong Kong’s leader during his annual policy speech, protesting against welfare cuts.

The party’s firebrand image diminished in the late 2010s, however, when younger, more radical parties emerged to contest China’s rule.

Then came the 2020 national security law, which China and Hong Kong argue was needed to curb political unrest, but critics say has been used to quell dissent and erode rights.

Subversion case

LSD figurehead and former legislator Leung was arrested in 2021 and jailed in 2024 as part of a sprawling subversion case involving 47 opposition figures.

The party has held small public protests in recent years, often under heavy police surveillance.

Four members, including current leader Chan Po Ying, were fined in June for raising money in street campaigns “without permits”.

Dickson Chau, an LSD vice-chairperson, told the court during their trial that the activists hoped to promote social progress but “unfortunately, the government’s response is prosecution”.

LSD activists are among the handful of remaining Hong Kong people who still publicly mark the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, after the government banned such commemorations.

Scores of civil society groups have closed since the national security law came into effect, with hundreds of activists arrested, jailed or in exile.

Hong Kong’s legislature is now opposition-free after the authorities revamped electoral rules in 2021 so only “patriots” could hold office.

The Democratic Party announced in 2025 that it had begun a formal shutdown process. The Civic Party closed its doors in 2023.

Ms Regina Ip, convenor of the Hong Kong government’s Cabinet, told AFP that the opposition parties “have done great damage to Hong Kong and to the proper functioning of (the Legislative Council)” in a June 25 interview.

“It is a good thing that they should wind down,” she said.

Human Rights Watch’s Ms Maya Wang said the LSD’s disbandment showed how fast and furious Beijing’s repression in Hong Kong had been.

“Its members have fought vocally for democracy for years and persisted in doing so despite escalating harassment and harsh imprisonment after the National Security Law,” she said in an e-mail to AFP.

“One can only imagine the kind of additional threats the group must be facing from Beijing before they decided to close shop.” AFP

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