HONG KONG – Hong Kong police on Saturday arrested a dozen democracy activists for illegal assembly in a raid according to the Asian Financial Center, media and political sources.

Believed to be among those detained in the swoop is prominent Democratic Party founder and senior barrister Martin Lee, 81, broadcaster RTHK reported. In all, nine former legislators were arrested.

Hong Kong police are yet to confirm the arrest, which the media said was related to the march on August 18 and October 1 of last year – both on big days and violent protests across the city.

The media showed footage of police outside the home of Jimmy Lai, a financial back tycoon from the city’s pro-democracy movement.

Lai was arrested in late February on similar charges, as well as veteran activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Yeung Sum. He was not clear among those arrested on Saturday, while others named by the media could not be contacted.

The raids mark the biggest crackdown on the pro-democracy movement since the large and sometimes violent anti-government protests during the former British colony in June last year.

Marchers initially targeted a now-scrapped bill proposing to send suspects to mainland China for trial but protests broadened into demands for full democracy and a public investigation of the use of force by police.

Saturday’s arrest comes after several months of relative calm amid a partial coronavirus lockdown, but as Chinese and city government officials made a renewed push for strict national security laws for Hong Kong.

Democratic legislator Claudia Moe, who was not among those arrested, said the government, led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, was “trying to present a ring of terror in Hong Kong”.

The local opposition said that whatever they can do to keep silence, the local opposition is doing it. He said alluding to the assembly elections due in September, in which Democrats hope to win back their former veto power in the city’s assembly.

Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested more than 7,800 people for involvement in the protests, including several rioting charges that could carry jail sentences of up to 10 years.

It is unclear how many of them are in custody.

The Hong Kong government and security officials have recently described some actions of the democracy movement as close to terrorism.

Authorities are increasingly using it to justify the need for new national security laws to increase the threat of terrorism, a requirement under the original law – the mini constitution that guarantees Hong Kong’s broad independence and with Beijing its Underlines relationships.

In 1997, Hong Kong returned to Beijing under a “one country, two system” formula that guaranteed widespread independence not seen in mainland China, and a high degree of autonomy.

A previous attempt to draft a national security law for Hong Kong, known as Article 23, coincided with mass protests in 2003 and was abandoned.