HK League of Social Democrats forced to disband

Originally published by Solidarity

Hong Kong’s most prominent working-class political party, the League of Social Democrats, has dissolved.

LSD organisers, including its chair, Marxist and feminist veteran Chan Po-ying, and leading LGBT+ rights activist Jimmy Sham, announced the disbandment to a press conference on Sunday 29 June. Clutching red roses, they cited “draconian suppression of dissent”, “immense political pressure” and the safety of members. Sham was only recently released after a four-years prison sentence from the landmark “47 democrats” case. Fellow defendant and LSD co-founder Leung Kwokhung remains behind bars.

The LSD consistently linked the battle for political democracy to struggles against social and economic injustice. It leaned more toward confrontation, protest and civil disobedience than other major democratic parties.

It was the largest remaining opposition party after the Civic and Democratic Parties folded under the intense repression of Beijing’s 2020 National Security Law. Barred from running in “patriots-only” elections, the LSD continued to hold street stalls and small demonstrations. These were met with aggressive police surveillance, intimidation and arrests. HSBC closed the LSD’s bank accounts in 2023, preventing them from collecting donations and forcing them to shutter their office.

The party’s statement warned: “The terrain ahead is even more treacherous. LSD now closes its chapter in Hong Kong’s history of dissent. Yet, as members of this society, our spirit remains. Even as we step aside, we stand with those still struggling in the shadows.” Protests, strikes and other struggles continue to boil up across China and Hong Kong. Workers’ organisations around the world must do everything possible to assist them.