Michael Vidler has built his legal career on fighting for the “little guy” in Hong Kong, from high-profile street protesters such as Joshua Wong to little-known LGBT activists. But not any more. After 30 years in the city, the 58-year-old human rights lawyer has been forced to flee back to Britain because of concerns about the Beijing-drafted national security law and “unfounded allegations” from the increasingly bellicose state-controlled press. “I lived here for 30 years. This has been my home. Hong Kong was my home … This isn’t how I expected to end my firm or my time in Hong Kong,” Vidler told HKFP after a hasty exit to the UK in late April.