After seeing Americans react to COVID, I 100% believe that there are plenty of Americans who would do the same.

With new laws and arrests, there has been limited reporting on Hong Kong’s pro-China “patriots” – the people who are now running and policing the city, as well as the ordinary citizens who openly support them. But the BBC has spent weeks interviewing Innes Tang, 60, a prominent self-described patriot.

 

He and his volunteers have taken screen grabs from social media of any activities or comments they believe could be in breach of the NSL.

 

He also established a hotline for tip-offs from the public and encouraged his online followers to share information on the people around them.

 

Nearly 100 individuals and organisations have been reported to the authorities by him and his followers, he says.

 

“Does reporting work? We wouldn’t do it if it didn’t,” Mr Tang says. “Many had cases opened by the police… with some resulting in jail terms.”

 

Mr Tang says he hasn’t investigated alleged law breakers himself, but simply reported incidents he thinks warrant scrutiny – describing it as “proper community-police co-operation”.