Hong Kong police unknowingly helps #HKIndependence trend on Twitter

Since the beginning of this year, Hong Kong has been a ground of pro democracy protestors clashing with the Hong Kong police department.

Protestors had been chanting 'Hong Kong for Independence' in their protests. However, the Hong Kong police department created a hashtag and helped trend it too — all through a tweet.

On July 29 night, the Hong Kong police tweeted about arresting four individuals for breaching the much debated National Security Law.

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"#Breaking: Three males and one female, aged 16-21, who claimed to be students, have been arrested for breaching the #NationalSecurityLaw. They were suspected of secession by advocating #HKIndependence. Investigation is underway. #Hongkong," the tweet read.

This tweet ended up boosting the circulation of the hashtag. What added to the popularity of the hashtag was China's state-run tabloid Global Times retweeting Hong Kong Police's tweet to its millions of followers.

The irony was not lost on Hong Kong citizens. Twitterati reacted to the police department's tweet pointing out the irony and had their share of fun from this one tweet.

This came after China imposed a new National Security Law that has been criticised for silencing and punishing anyone who voices opinion against the government.

The new security law has also attracted criticism from European and western countries, including the US and the UK.