Chan Ho-Tin
Hong Kong- Early Life and Education
- Political Activism
- Establishment of the Hong Kong National Party
- 2016 Legislative Council Election
- 2018 Foreign Correspondents' Club Address
- 2019 G20 Osaka Summit and Anti-Extradition Bill Protests
- 2019 Arrests
Early Life and Education
Andy Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1990 and pursued studies in engineering and business administration at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU). His first foray into politics came during the 2014 Hong Kong protests (dubbed the "Umbrella Revolution"), opposing the Chinese government's decision to impose restrictions on the nominating methods for Hong Kong's Chief Executive elections in 2017. He emerged as one of the protestors who arrived at the scene after police cleared the "Civic Square" occupied by protestors on September 27.
Political Activism
Dissatisfied with the student leaders of the protests, Chan advocated for more radical and militant approaches. He accused the leaders of the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) of failing the movement and began campaigning to disaffiliate the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Students' Union (HKPUSU) from its HKFS membership as an organizer of the HKPU Division Concern Group. HKPUSU eventually met the referendum threshold of 1,700 votes, with 1,190 votes in favor of disaffiliation.
Following the disaffiliation campaign, Chan began advocating for Hong Kong independence. On March 28, 2016, he founded the Hong Kong National Party.
Establishment of the Hong Kong National Party
Chan's actions drew attacks from Chinese state media and the Hong Kong government. An editorial in the state-run newspaper Global Times criticized the Hong Kong National Party, stating that Hong Kong independence is "impossible to achieve" and labeling it a "farce" and a "spread of extremism in Hong Kong." The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council issued a statement through the official Xinhua News Agency on March 30, 2016, following the announcement of the Hong Kong National Party's establishment, condemning the party as "harming the country's sovereignty, security, jeopardizing its prosperity" and endangering Hong Kong's stability and "the fundamental interests of Hong Kong..." The Hong Kong government released a statement after the party's formation, stating that "any proposition that Hong Kong should be independent, or any movement advocating such 'independence,' is in contravention of the Basic Law and will undermine Hong Kong's stability and prosperity as well as harm the interests of the vast majority of the public..."
2016 Legislative Council Election
In the 2016 Legislative Council election, Chan's candidacy representing the New Territories West was challenged by the Returning Officer of the Electoral Commission (EAC). The EAC required Chan and all other candidates to sign an additional form of declaration asserting their understanding of Hong Kong as an inalienable part of China, as stipulated in Hong Kong's Basic Law. Chan refused to sign the form, and his candidacy was "invalidated" along with five other pro-independence activists after the nomination period closed. On August 5, the Hong Kong National Party led a rally that was billed as "the first rally advocating Hong Kong independence" in protest of the EAC's disqualification.
2018 Foreign Correspondents' Club Address
In an address to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong on August 14, 2018, Chan called for Hong Kong independence from China, referring to the latter as "a threat to all free peoples of the world" and "our colonial master." In response, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region criticized the FCC for allowing Chan to speak, as did the Hong Kong government. The event sparked controversy surrounding the de facto ban on entry to Hong Kong for the journalist who moderated the talk. In the absence of an official explanation, Victor Mallet's visa rejection was widely perceived as retribution for his role in orchestrating the talk, which the FCC refused to cancel.
2019 G20 Osaka Summit and Anti-Extradition Bill Protests
On June 27, 2019, Chan arrived in Osaka, Japan, to join pro-China independence demonstrators in a protest against the CCP. Before successfully entering Osaka, Chan was detained for three hours by local authorities at the airport.
2019 Arrests
On August 2, 2019, Chan was arrested along with a group of seven others during a police raid on a flat in an industrial building on Au Pui Wan Street in Sha Tin. The group was detained on offenses including possession of explosives without a license, possession of offensive weapons, and unlawfully selling poisons. Police discovered two bows and six arrows in the flat, as well as an alleged petrol bomb, petrol bomb-making materials, and oils containing substances derived from cannabis. Chan was arrested again on August 30 for rioting and assaulting a police officer during the 2019 Sheung Shui protest over his attempt to flee to Japan.
