One of the children’s comic books which illustrates the story of 12 sheep surrounded by fierce wolves was alleged to have incited children’s hatred towards the government and on the city’s judicial system, advocating violence.

The five arrestees, aged 25 to 28 years, were members of the General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapists, including its chairman, vice-chairman and three executives.

The group was established in 2019 amid the new union movement as part of the mass protest movement of the city’s “umbrella revolution”, with the aim of upholding the profession’s values and educate future generations.

The police said the group, since its establishment in November 2019, had mentioned on multiple occasions the ideas of “getting rid of China’s grip on Hong Kong affairs” and “to build up a true Hong Kong”.

The police also said the group had from June last year published three children’s comic books, which the force described as “seditious publications”.

The books in question are essentially about sheep surrounded by fierce wolves, and were reportedly intended to teach children the history of the city’s democracy.

The force said the book “Guardians of the sheep village” illustrates a story about sheep defending their village from wolves, with the wolves implicating mainlanders and the sheep as locals. The force also said the book’s timeline corresponded to the anti-extradition movement.

As for the book “The 12 brave heroes of the sheep village”, the force said the book was based on the incident of the 12 Hongkongers arrested in August last year for illegal entry into mainland Chinese waters after setting off from Hong Kong in a boat bound for self-ruled Taiwan.

The 12 were suspected of committing crimes in Hong Kong related to the anti-government protests that erupted in 2019, with some of them charged and released on bail, not allowed to leave the city.

The force said the book had mentioned that the 12 sheep will be rounded up and slaughtered, calling other sheep to fight back.

“The 12 fugitives being arrested last year had all committed serious crimes in Hong Kong, and were arrested in mainland waters for crossing the border illegally,” said the force.

The force criticized the book for inciting people’s hatred towards the city’s judicial system and its administration.

Meanwhile, a third book - “Cleaner of the sheep village” published in March this year, which was said to be based on the incident of medical workers in Hong Kong going on strike in February last year amid the Covid pandemic.

Thousands of the city’s medical workers went on strike during that time as they urge the government to close its border with the mainland to contain the coronavirus epidemic, with the government ignoring the demands.

Police said the book told a story of wolves bringing the coronavirus into the sheep village, which implies mainlanders for bringing the virus into Hong Kong.

The force slammed the book had tried to incite people’s hatred towards the government and mainlanders.