Behind The Protests: The Truth Of Hong Kong
Published: 26/09/2020
WARNING. THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS IMAGES OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR: READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED!
This article has been written to counterbalance to the overwhelming amount of heavily biased pro-protest media in Hong Kong. We are publishing the full text from the IPA (International Police Association) report into the ongoing violence and terrorism situation in HK SAR. The aim is to show the truth that has been tearing the fabric of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region apart for over a year now. We have compiled this information because the western media is intent on ignoring the truth and violence being committed to spin the story into one of ‘an oppressive authoritarian government directed in secret by Beijing’ vs ‘can-do-nothing-wrong-freedom-fighting victims of oppression’. Hong Kong IS part of China regardless of what the western imperialist media say, The People’s Republic of China’s sovereignty in Hong Kong was agreed in the Sino–British Joint Declaration, a treaty signed between the United Kingdom and China on the matter of Hong Kong under Chinese sovereignty, Signed on 19 December 1984 in Beijing, when the lease of the New Territories was set to expire according to the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory. It is an agreement that saw the end of British Colonial rule in Hong Kong at midnight on July 1st, 1997. A victory for Anti-Imperialism and Anti-colonialism and a matter of pride for China! Below is the report in full.
Background to the initial protests
The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 was proposed by the Hong Kong government in February 2019 to establish a mechanism for transfers of fugitives not only for Taiwan but also for Mainland China and Macau, which are currently excluded in the existing laws. In early 2018, 19-year-old Hong Kong resident Chan Tong-kai murdered his pregnant girlfriend Poon Hiu-wing in Taiwan, then returned to Hong Kong. Chan admitted to Hong Kong police that he killed Poon, but the police were unable to charge him for murder or extradite him to Taiwan because no agreement is in place. The two ordinances in Hong Kong, the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance, were not applicable to the requests for the surrender of fugitive offenders and mutual legal assistance between Hong Kong and Taiwan. The pro-Beijing flagship party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) chairwoman Starry Lee and legislator Holden Chow pushed for a change to the extradition law in 2019 using the murder case as the rationale. In February 2019, the government proposed changes to fugitive laws, establishing a mechanism for case-by-case transfers of fugitives by the Hong Kong Chief Executive to any jurisdiction with which the city lacks a formal extradition treaty, which it claimed would close the ‘legal loophole’.
In March 2019 The first protest happened on 31 March with an attendance of 12,000 pro-democracy protesters according to organisers, the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF). Between March and June of 2019, the protests have escalated from non-violent street marches into racially motivated violence and the trashing of Hong Kong city.
Turning Up The Heat
Starting from June 9th, 2019, a series of large-scale public events were held in response to the now-withdrawn extradition bill. Since then over 1000 protests, demonstrations, and rallies have been held with mand descending into chaos and violence, which can best be described as nothing short of riots. These public events were triggered by the discontent of some sections of society over the HKSAR government’s proposed amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in early 2019. In response to public sentiments, on July 9th, 2019 the Chief Executive announced the stoppage of the proposed bill and in an address to the pubic stated that “The Bill is DEAD”.
Despite this halting of the proposed amendment, protests against the government continued and the demands of the protestors extended to include the resignation of the Chief Executive (Carrie Lam), Unconditional release of arrested protestors, the cessation of any prosecution proceedings against them and the sanctioning of the Hong Kong Police for alleged use of excessive force to restore public order. The ‘Battle Cry’ heard at all subsequent protests. and in graffiti plastered throughout the city now is “Five Demands, Not One Less”, two of the five being the retraction of the classification of violent protests as “riots” and amnesty for all arrested protestors.
The Chief Executive has repeatedly dismissed such demands as being unreasonable and detrimental to the rule of law and independence of the judiciary. core values that Hong Kong people have always taken pride in. Under the pretext of fighting for these demands, radical protestors resorted to violence and unlawful acts that were not only beyond the tenet of peaceful protest but also constituted as a serious threat to the life and safety of the general public.
Injured Police Officers
Rioters have attacked police officers on and off duty with dangerous and even deadly weapons like bows, arrows, petrol bombs, knives and corrosive substances (acid)
Injuries
Cilivians, Police Officers, Reporters and Protestors themselves have suffered varying injuries.
Protests
Many public gatherings have descended into chaos and violence.
Days
Social Unrest has gone on in Hong Kong.
Damaged Subways
Rioters have wreaked havoc in mass transit railway (MTR) stations.
Damaged Shops
Rioters have vandalised shops, restaurants and banks they deem unsupportive of their ’cause’.
Spreading Hatred
Since June 2019, the internet has been filled with a huge amount of anti-police hate messages urging netizens to launch vicious attacks on police officers on and off duty. Telegram, an encrypted instant messaging mobile application, and LIHKG, an online forum often described as a local version of Reddit, have been used intensively and extensively to spread such messages of hate and to incite violence. For instance, it is not uncommon to see infographics and tutorials on how to inflict fatal attacks on police officers, such as what type of knife is the sharpest and thus most effective in slashing a Police officer, Worse still there are also Telegram groups discussing and planning brutal attacks on Police officers and facilities. It is a common tactic used by those with ill intentions to fan hatred against the Police and blame them for the deteriorating socio-economic situation that is also developing on the actions of the police. Anti-police hatred haunts Hong Kong and has filled the mind of many youngsters.
Doxxing as a Psychological Weapon
Since the protests began, over 3000 police officers and their family members have fallen victim to the malicious leaking of personal data such as photos, identity card numbers, car registration, home addresses, and telephone numbers, in a practice known as ‘Doxxing’. Such personal data has been widely circulated on anti-police social media platforms and subsequently used by persons with ill-intentions. For example, misusing personal data to apply for loans, order food delivery, register for organ donations, etc. Numerous officers and their family members have been bullied on the internet, received nuisance calls and even death threats and in the real world have been harassed in person having their personal property damaged such as their cars and homes on multiple occasions, Police family homes have been attacked by rioters who have smashed windows with bricks and terrorised the family members who live there, including young children being at home during the attacks. As a result, many police officers have had to move homes and take refuge in temporary housing.
Lennon/Sticky Note Walls
As a prevalent way of expressing their opinions in public, may protestors paste sticky notes and propaganda onto the walls of public places like subways and footbridges. Such spaces are referred to as ‘Lennon walls’. While it is not illegal to express your views in public peacefully by writing and pasting removable notes, many ill-intentioned protestors have exploited these ‘Lennon walls’ and put up posters containing personal information of Government officials and police officers in an attempt to incite hatred and harassment. There have been as many as 100 reported cases where disputes between people with different political views have descended into street fights and even violent assaults. The police have had to take law enforcement actions in order to combat the violence associated with these ‘Lennon walls’, and as such officers will remove them. Which then protestors will claim their Free speech is being attacked.
Escalating Violence and Taking The Law Into Their Own Hands
Hong Kong $
Estimated repair cost for the damaged legislative council building.
Sets of Traffic Lights
Rioters have inflicted extensive damage to road safety infrastructure.
Sq meters of roads
Bricks have been dug up from pavement where rioters also set street fires.
Meters of railings
Roadside railings have been dismantled and removed by rioters.
Days
A key harbour crossing connecting Kowloon and HK island was blocked as a result of serious damage.
Detected Cases
Home-made bombs and dangerous explosives have been seized at various locations in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong $
Estimated repair cost for the 150+ MTR stations damaged
Detected Cases
Genuine firearms, including 3 semi-automatic pistols and one AR15 assault rifle were found during police raids.
Hijacking Public Events
In early June and July 2019, anti-government protests usually began in a peaceful manner before eventually descending into disorder. In August 2019 radical protestors started to equip themselves with personal protective equipment and started making use of petrol bombs which were thrown indiscriminately at Police, civilian crowds, and at public property. On August 31st over 100 petrol bombs were used by protestors.
Attacks on Innocent Citizens
Whilst demanding their own right to exercise their right to self-expression, Rioters have shown that they are not willing to tolerate any expression of views opposed to their own and this has seen innocent citizens who hold different views attacked and even resulted in one death.
On 13th November 2019, a seventy-year-old man died as a result of sustaining serious head injuries after being struck in the head by a brick thrown by protestors at a very close range.
In one incident at the Hong Kong International Airport on 13th August 2019, whilst protestors were attempting to disrupt the operation of the airport. two Mainland Chinese visitors were seized and held hostage by an angry mob. Both had their limbs fastened with cable ties before being repeatedly punched and kicked.
On the 11th of November 2019, a man who had argued with protestors about them damaging the rail station in Ma On Shan was doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. He sustained third-degree burns on more than 40% of his body. He was taken to hospital in critical condition and was hospitalised for months. The victim has been left with permanent skin and organ damage.
There have been many incidents where citizens on the scene have spoken out about the violence and have been met with savage beatings, petrol bombs, having their faces spray painted black, and having unknown liquids poured over their heads.
Vandalising Banks and Shops
Since August 2019, the sight of rioters setting buildings on fire, vandalising malls, shops, places of work, restaurants, damaging public property, and even looting, particularly premises with links to the mainland PRC or know to be supportive of the HK SAR government, has, unfortunately, become routine sight especially during weekends and this has caused widespread public fear in what was one of the safest and stable cities in the world.
Physical Attacks on Police
To date, more than 2000 people, including 500 Police officers, have sustained injuries and one elderly man has been sadly killed during the protests. It is now not uncommon for radical protestors to attack police officers on or off duty and routinely make use of an array of offensive weapons to do so. In mid-October 2019, for the first time, a radio-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) was used to target officers in the busy district of Mongkok. In one of the most appalling cases so far, a rioter slashed an officer in the neck with a box cutter in an attempt to take his life. Officers have been attacked with slingshots and steel balls, and in other incidents have had rioters dousing them in corrosive liquids, with one sustaining third-degree burns and having to undergo a skin graft. During the unlawful occupation of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPolyU) a Media Liason Officer was hit by an arrow in the leg. Lucky to not be hit elsewhere and possibly killed. Other officers have been viciously attacked for merely speaking to the organisers of events.
Paralysing the Transport System
A frequent tactic of the protestors has been their regular attempts to disrupt the Hong Kong transport system. To achieve this, they have erected barricades on main roads, including major roads such as Nathan Road which connects the busier districts in Kowloon, Damaged traffic lights, and hampered the functioning of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) which has been completely or partially shut down on numerous occasions as rioters have rampaged through underground and overland stations, destroying key facilities, intimidating staff and tampering with rail track. Such activity has often been aimed at the rush hour in an effort to stop ordinary citizens from being able to make it into work.
As mentioned before, On the 13th of August 2019 hundreds of protestors converged on Hong Kong’s international airport with the intention of pushing their demands on visitors arriving in and departing from Hong Kong. The large-scale unlawful assembly in the airport resulted in travelers being able to depart and in the cancellation or re-scheduling of hundreds of flights thereby causing immense disruption and possible financial loss to innocent travelers to and from Hong Kong and the reputational loss to HKSAR as a reliable aviation hub.
On 11th of November 2019, protestors dropped objects from a bridge within the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) onto the Tolo Highway and East Rail Line thereby causing severe disruption to the transport system linking much of the New Territories and Kowloon for three consecutive days. Such destructive and dangerous actions endanger both the lives and livelihoods of many ordinary innocent citizens.
Turning Universities into Battlegrounds
Since the 9th of June 2019, The Hong Kong Police have arrested over 7600 people, including more than 3000 students (about 40% of total arrests). Alarmingly, since the commencement of the new school year in September, there has been an increasing trend in the number of young students arrested. Some protestors exploited impressionable teenagers to commit crimes and advance their ulterior political agendas. A place of learning is supposed to be a nurturing ground for talent but unfortunately, certain universities have been turned into battlefields where rioters have turned into factories for manufacturing weapons and taken refuge.
Between the 11th and 16th of November 2019, several thousand protestors occupied the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and committed wanton destruction of the campus and its nearby railway station thereby forcing the closure of the East Rail Line and Tolo Highway. Hundreds of rioters, including CUHK students, took control of the campus and turned it into a manufacturing base for petrol bombs, with a sophisticated production line consisting of makers filling glass bottles with petroleum and different chemicals and capping them with ignition fuses. A large volume of chemicals including sulphuric and nitric acids were stolen from the university laboratories. Rioters used petrol bombs and other types of weapons such as bows and arrows to attack Police officers when they attempted to restore lawful order to the campus.
In a bid to peacefully resolve the situation, the Police and the Vice-chancellor and President of CUHK entered into a discussion to secure a resolution agreement. However, the resulting agreement was rejected by the protestors gathered on the campus and on the 16th of November 2019, after a 5-day long occupation, the Police regained control of the campus bridge over the Rolo Highway and East Rail Line. The University’s management made a report to the police to seek assistance in clearing the campus. As a result, the protesters fled the campus before the entrance of police who seized 3900 petrol bombs that had been abandoned by the protestors.
On 5th of December 2019, on a hillside near the Shing Mun Reservoir in Shing Mun Country Park, the police found 59 bottles, containing 137 litres of assorted chemicals that were suspected to have been stolen from laboratories in CUHK.
Following events at CHUK similar occupations occurred on the campuses of other universities across Hong Kong, The most serious being that at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) which was occupied by approximately 1000 rioters between 18-29th of November 2019. Likewise, the campus was used as a weapon factory where a large number of lethal weapons like bows and arrows and even home-made bombs were made. Videos filmed from withing the campus showed rioters practising throwing petrol bombs in a drained swimming pool and shooting arrows from a vantage point. While the university became a powder keg, rioters also set fire to the adjacent major transport interchange and forced the closure of the Cross Habour Tunnel thereby causing parts of the city to be gridlocked for days.
Given the large number of young and underage people inside the campus, the police adopted a prudent, humane and flexible approach to resolve the situation and formed a working group consisting of different stakeholders including PolyU management and community leaders. Members of the group subsequently entered the campus to implore the protestors within to leave peacefully. Eventually, 810 people were arrested on leaving the campus, some after voluntarily surrendering and others who tried to break out and escape. A total of 318 youngsters exited the campus but were not arrested on the spot. instead, they had their ID card and personal details recorded before being released, as per a flexible arrangement to cater to the well-Being of the underage protestors. Those with medical needs were given first aid by qualified personnel and were not arrested on the spot but only had their personal particulars recorded by police.
All these flexible arrangements were intended to facilitate a peaceful and humane solution to the crisis. Contrary to media and online reports, protestors were never deterred or prohibited from exiting the campus. Police always appealed to those who were holed up to leave in an orderly manner, with assistance from the school’s staff and professionals like academics and social workers. The occupation of PolyU lasted 13 days and upon its conclusion, 4296 petrol bombs, 671 bottles of chemicals and 662 weapons were seized.
In a nutshell, adding up the 4000+ petrol bombs seized from PolyU, the almost 4000 seized from CUHK and those from their vicinities, the police have collected as many as 10000 petrol bombs and foiled the attacks which such weapons were intended to be used in, which would have caused serious damage and potential incalculable risks to the city’s population.
Paralysis of Major Transport Routes
Since both CUHK and PolyU are located adjacent to major transport networks, namely Tolo Highway and Cross Habour Tunnel respectively, the occupation of the campuses has interfered with the operation of such key infrastructure and caused serious disruption to traffic and travel. The former is a major route catering to as many as 100000 vehicles daily and connecting several key districts in the New Territories while the latter is the most used harbour crossing bridging Kowloon and Hong Kong Island and catering to 120000 vehicles daily.
Masked rioters set up barricades and threw debris from the overhead bridge near CUHK onto the highways posing a grave threat to passing vehicles. As a result the route was closed for almost a week. In contrast, the Cross Habour Tunnel was sealed off for 15 days as rioters set up barricades and set fire to toll booths. This caused tremendous disruption to the everyday life of ordinary citizens and jeopardised emergency services.
Firearms and Bomb Seizures
Back on June, the 7th 2019, the very first petrol bomb was thrown outside the Police headquarters, which at the time cause a public outcry. For a law-abiding citizen who had been accustomed to the safety and stability of Hong Kong, that one simple petrol bomb certainly touched a nerve. Nonetheless, up to date, the petrol bombs have become the most common weapon used by rioters to target Police officers and Police premises. Subsequent police operations have seized a large number of firearms and explosives and foiled plots to use in such attacks akin to those observed in terrorist atrocities seen throughout the world. A few alarming cases are highlighted here.
Raid on Industrial Buildings
In one of the first cases involving explosives seized, the police raided an industrial premises on the 1st of August 2019 and found explosives, materials for making petrol bombs, bows and arrows, as well as cannabis oils. One woman and seven men, including the banned Hong Kong National Party’s convenor. Chan Ho-Tin was arrested for possessing explosives and offensive weapons.
Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices (IED)
On the night of the 14th of October 2019, an IED was detonated in the busy district of Mongkok. In the on the most blatant pre-meditated attempts to seriously injure or even kill Police officers on duty. The home-made bomb was planted in a flower bed and was detonated as police officers parked their vehicles to clear roadblocks made by rioters just 10-15 meters away. at that time, apart from police officers, many reporters, protestors, and bystanders, who had no inkling about the imminent danger were subjected to were in the vicinity.
Seizure of Home Made Bombs Outside Wah Yan College
On the morning of the 9th of December 2019, Police bomb disposal officers defused two large improvised explosive devices outside Wah Yan College in Happy Valley. The devices were found to be complete, fully functional, and radio-controlled and could be activated by a mobile phone. They contained a total of 10KG of high explosives consisting of two different types. The devices also contained a large number of nails that would serve as shrapnel upon detonation. Both devices had been constructed to serve a single purpose – To kill and maim people and given the quantity of the explosives would have resulted in a large number of fatalities.
Seizure of TATP
During the second half of 2019, experts of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Bureau were turned out for a record number of cases involving explosives. On several occasions, TATP (Triacetone Triperoxide), and extremely unstable and dangerous synthetic explosive has been seized in school and residential area. For instance, two secondary school students, one aged 17, and the other 18 brought TATP into their school in Ma On Shan. They were arrested for possession of explosives. One even had an empty cartridge in his pocket and was further charged with possessing arms and ammunition without a license. This alarming case shows that young people with little awareness of the dangers posed to themselves or others have been caught up in the movement without really thinking matters through.
Fake News
Clarifications And Rebuttals
The Police actually rebut fake news and false rumours on social media.
Spreading of Misinformation – Fake news and false reports used to fool the public and foil police efforts.
apart from physical violence, misinformation has also been weaponised during the protests with radicals using the media, social media and other internet platforms to spread malicious rumours and misinformation to sow the seeds of grievance in society and to slander the police and government response. Such rumours are characterised by two common features: anonymity and inconsistency. In several cases, people claiming to be protestors have made allegations of criminality against the police to the media. often supported by politicians or lawyers. Almost, as a rule, such complainants refuse to reveal their identities when making these accusations and are reluctant to make formal reports for authorities to follow up properly.
Hong Kong has freedom of the press and their rights to record the social unrest in the city has been upheld. While the media is understandably interested in documenting the alleged wrongdoings of the authorities, there have been numerous reports that ignore the intentional acts of law-breakers and violent protestors. While many such reports accuse the police of using excessive force, they rarely if ever mention what these protestors did and were doing before showing police action captured in that one snapshot of what is claimed to be ‘excessive’. It is very unfortunate and dishonest that, in general, many media and online reports use short and edited videos that are taken out of context and fail to show the full picture of how radical protestors use of extreme violence has necessitated a justifiable police response.
Malicious Sexual Assault Allegations
Another focus of false rumours and allegations are of sexual assault and harassment by the police. Ther have been several false complaints of police officers molesting, sexually assaulting, or even gang-raping arrested people, both male and female, on the internet and in the tabloids. Such claims, however, were made mostly by people who refused to come forward to make their allegations officially to the police or other law enforcement agencies, leaving the police with no way of following up or verifying the authenticity of the reports. In many cases the police proactively looked into such allegations using information reported in the media and found no evidence of credibility to the complaints: CCTV footage or other official reports totally discredited the complainants raised in the media. The investigations that have been possible have shown the maliciousness and intention to malign the police. Even with the overwhelming evidence to rebut the allegations, sections of the media and the public have ignored the facts and continue to spread the baseless allegations as truth.
Fabrication of Murder Rumours
another case in point is the death of a 22-year old university student who fell to his death in a car park as Police officers where dispersing radical and violent protestors nearby. The police have categorically rejected allegations in some tabloids and online forums accusing the police operation of leading directly to his death and also caused unnecessary suffering to the family of the deceased. To emphasise the point, during multiple press briefings and social media, The police have explained in detail the lack of suspicious circumstances surrounding his death while the car parks management company released CCTV footage of the moments leading up to the misfortunate accident that showed him to be alone at the time.
Another high profile death during the ongoing unrest is the suicide of a 15-year-old female student in September who was found drowned in the sea. Since the deceased’s body was retrieved there have been relentless but groundless fake news and rumours accusing police officers of murdering the teenager and dumping her body. Worse still, netizens circulated a large amount of personal information of the deceased and her family, leading to harassment and nuisance telephone calls targeting the deceased’s mother. This compelled her to go on local TV news to appeal to netizens to stop speculating about her daughter’s misfortune and she believed it was indeed a suicide given her mental health record.
Hong Kong Police Actions And Strategies
To tackle the current protests, especially the violence used by mostly young protestors, the HK police adopted both a hard and soft approach, exercising restraint and adhering to its long-standing guidelines and regulations on the use of force.
Use of Force
The HK police is a professional law enforcement agency with extensive experience and capability in the handling of large-scale public events. They conduct impartial assessments on all public order events and deploy manpower to facilitate events, ensure public safety, and minimise the impact of events on members of the public and road users.
While seeking to facilitate all peaceful and legal events, the Police maintain the capability to interdict events that descend into violence and pose a risk to life and the safety of the citizens of Hong Kong. In recent months when radical protestors have set fire to subway stations, local shops, roads, government buildings, and police stations, thrown bricks and petrol bombs and corrosive liquids at police and members of the public, particularly those with different political views as the protestors or anyone ‘caught’ speaking Mandarin Chinese, the Police are required to uphold the law and exercise its ability to restore order and has always sort to do so in line with the use of force protocols.
Faced with ever-escalating violence used by rioters, the police have continued to use the minimum and appropriate level of force necessary to restore order and peace. Contrary to allegations made against it by the media and the rioters themselves, the police have never initiated any of the violent clashes but instead only responded to unprovoked attacks upon them. While doing so it had been noticeably restrained in its use of such when one considers the scale of violence and sheer numbers of rioters frontline officers are confronted by. As soon as a situation is brought under control, the necessity to used force ceases.
Anti Violence Hotline
Events over the last year and a half have left many people in Hong Kong with fears over their personal safety and in order to enable and encourage them to report crime, the HK police launched the anti-violence hotline through which members of the public can submit photos and videos to it and play a part in helping the restoration of law and order.
With the continued support of the public, since its launch, the hotline has received more than 900000 messages from concerned citizens reporting the illegal acts of rioters for further investigation.
Public Support
Regardless of what the media try to spin, over the course of the social unrest and riots the police have received overwhelming public support and appreciation for their efforts to uphold law and order. Support from all walks of like have sustained the police’s commitment to peace in Hong Kong and to make the city one of the safest and most stable societies in the world. Several large scale public rallies in support of the police’s law enforcement actions have been held, with the largest drawing in around 475000 people. All police stations have received thank you cards and other acts of gratitude and appreciation from members of the public.
Rebuilding Public Trust
During the time that these protests have been going on, numerous false allegations have been made against the Hong Kong Police and regrettably, some members of the public have been misled through disinformation they have read or seen in the media or online. This has resulted in the long-standing reputation of the police being seriously tarnished by domestic and international media. Recognising that the Police and the public of Hong Kong must stand together to keep Hong Kong safe, the police are committed to rebuilding public trust and confidence and aim to achieve this through continued transparency and by keeping the public well informed of the reasons behind the police’s actions using the following:
(a) Promptly rebut all false allegations and misinformation against them
(b) Increase the transparency of police work.
(c) Enhance police professionalism and sensitivity
(d) Strengthen existing and explore new communication channels to enhance engagement with the public.
The Truth of Hong Kong
In conclusion, the protests originally arose from a proposed amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and following its withdrawal have continued for months (even during the COVID 19 pandemic), during which time radical protestors violence has escalated to reaching alarming levels, plunging Hong Kong into a chaotic and unnerving situation.
The Hong Kong police and government are now not only battling physical violence but also the underlying notion of acceptance of lawlessness in society as some rioters and others in the community of Hong Kong advocate that breaking the law in order to force their so-called ideas is acceptable and justifiable. The democratic ideals said to be the basis of their ‘five demands’ have long since faded into reckless and ruthless violence against the people of Hong Kong, resulting in the severe erosion of the freedoms of everyone else in Hong Kong society – The exact opposite of what the rioters claim they are fighting for.
So far over 7600 people have been arrested but no death has been linked to the actions of the police or state. This shows that the state and police have been extremely restrained in their use of force in the face of increasingly dangerous and deadly attacks.
This article is meant to give a fair account of the truth of Hong Kong’s situation. History repeats itself – What is happening in Hong Kong has already been seen in other parts of the world. Such as the Ukraine, where radical neo-nazi protestors deployed similar tactics as aforementioned to discredit authorities while inflicting extensive damage to human life and stable society in their own communities – All under the pretext of ulterior demands. Is it any wonder that The Hong Kong rioters hold screenings of films about Euromaidan and even going as far as having members of US-backed fascists such as Right Sector/Azov Battalion attend their protests in Hong Kong as a sign of solidarity?
Despite the disturbances, The fundamentals and institutional foundations of post-colonial Hong Kong SAR’s economy and society remain robust. The citizens and authorities of Hong Kong stand firm to protect the rule of law and restore peace. During the entirety of the social unrest, the officers of the HK police have demonstrated unwavering professionalism, loyalty, and perseverance in protecting Hong Kong and are even more committed to “Serving Hong Kong with Honour, Duty, and Loyalty”.
Can the same be said for law enforcement in the USA currently being confronted with the same levels of violence they seem to promote in Hong Kong? The western governments and media are highly hypocritical when it comes to coverage of the situation in Hong Kong. Why? Because of any opportunity to smear the People’s Republic of China of course.
Since the publishing of the IPA report, Beijing and the Hong Kong SAR government have worked together to pass the National Security Law which makes the promotion of separatism in Hong Kong illegal. The new laws have worked successfully in stopping the protests from escalating into a full-blown regime change and the main political group behind the promotion of the violence, Demosistō, has disbanded and their leaders arrested, ignored, and fled:- Agnes Chow has been arrested awaiting trial, Nathan Law has fled to the UK to avoid arrest, and Joshua Wong is left selling himself on Patreon in between begging to be arrested to become a martyr via his social media. The rest of the movement is slowing down and losing momentum. Riots seem to have dried up and vandalism is few and far between now, and even the United States seems to have gotten bored and has moved on to pushing old tied lies about Tibet & Xinjiang.
Mango Press
