On 15 July 2026, coinciding with the opening day of the Hong Kong Book Fair, the police National Security Department raided two independent bookstores in Hong Kong —Have A Nice Stay (留下書舍) and Greenfield Book Store (田園書屋). Five individuals were arrested under Article 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance for allegedly displaying and selling publications with “seditious intent”. The police operation was reportedly triggered by a referral from the Customs and Excise Department, which intercepted an overseas shipment containing books such as Acropolis Publications’ Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China (Chinese version) as well as memoirs and works by former lawmakers Emily Lau and Shiu Ka-chun (Prisoner Outside Prison).
This enforcement action triggered immediate, systemic self-censorship across the international logistics sector. The Taiwan branch of Hong Kong logistics firm Jaguar Logistics (嘉達國際物流) claimed that because entire containers were previously detained by Hong Kong Customs at significant financial loss, it updated its operating rules to require clients to submit book lists in advance to verify compliance with National Security laws, and outright refused to deliver goods to four independent bookstores searched by police. Meanwhile, Secretary for Security Chris Tang reiterated that the government will not publish a list of banned books, placing full legal risk on booksellers by comparing it to “food sellers having a responsibility to avoid poisoning customers.” The public arrest of bookstore staff sparked international solidarity, including actions in Taipei where supporters wore t-shirts reading “I am a bookstore staff member.”