That election was ultimately delayed by the chief executive, Carrie Lam, for a year, purportedly because of the pandemic, and has not yet taken place.
The raids on Wednesday sent shock waves around the once semi-autonomous city, as social media posts and news reports confirmed arrest after arrest. By mid-morning, lists of more than 50 individuals emerged, reportedly including every candidate to have run in the unofficial primaries last year, as well as organisers and pollsters, and the first known foreigner – an American lawyer – to be arrested under the law.
