Hong-Kong Protests

• In five-minute video released on Saturday afternoon, Lam defends decision to invoke colonial-era law for first time in more than half a century
• Hong Kong remains in lockdown with MTR network still at standstill and shopping centres and banks all remaining closed

On the night of October 4, authorities of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region implemented an emergency law banning the use of masks in protests and riots. The use of masks in this context, which have been wielded by perpetrators to conceal their identities from law enforcement, is banned in the legal provisions of most Western countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. The announcement prompted a fresh wave of destruction within the city last night, which appears to be becoming more violent and even less tolerant.

Inevitably, Western mainstream media are doing their usual job of offering the activists full and uncritical support. They have moved to portray the mask ban as an act of authoritarianism that is "taking away the rights" of Hong Kong people and are giving the episode blanket coverage despite the presence of worse and even deadly protests in other areas of the world.

In doing so, it must be set out clearly how they are providing the public with a false narrative. They are intentionally conflating necessary law enforcement against public disorder with the suppression of civil liberties.

However, this would not be tolerated in their own countries. What they are not telling you is that policing and measures against rioting in Western countries is identical to that of Hong Kong. In the process of this, they are creating an exaggerated and selective narrative of police brutality, advocating the ridiculous assumption that authorities simply have to "tolerate" the destruction.

The utilization of law enforcement against public disorder and open destruction of property is neither a suspension nor suppression of civil liberties, a line which has been repeatedly claimed by leading Hong Kong activists such as Joshua Wong and repeated in the press. Protesters in Hong Kong have regularly started fires, brought public infrastructure to a standstill, thrown acid and relentlessly smashed up businesses.

However, the utilization of moderate force – and we can say moderate force, not a single Hong Kong resident has been killed by the police – to restore order against this kind of activity is a routine policing practice and is in line with those found in Western countries.

Let us look at the United Kingdom Public Order Act of 1986, which sets out contemporary riot law. First of all, UK police, like Hong Kong police, have the right to deny a protest if chief police officers believe there is a significant risk to public order or property. The BBC likes to portray protests as being "banned" to further its narrative.

Second, as a comparative example, the UK police have a legal right to deny a crowd access to a given public space if there is a deemed risk to safety or property. In turn, those who are charged with the offense of "riot" – "Where 12 or more persons who are present together use or threaten unlawful violence for a common purpose" – may face up to 10 years in prison. Note, it does not judge that purpose on its moral merits.

The laws of other Western countries are similar. The baseline is that if this behavior were repeated in their own countries, it would simply not be tolerated. In fact, when the United Kingdom was engulfed in riots in 2011, whereby 3,000 people were arrested, the press actually complained that the police were not "tough enough," and the Daily Telegraph even recommended utilizing the military.

Yet in Hong Kong, we have a marked exaggeration of difference. That is, all attempts to stop riots are somehow an act of political oppression and that authorities must simply "tolerate" the violence or be accused of brutality. Is that honest or fair?

In portraying it this way, outlets such as the BBC are giving deliberative focus to events in Hong Kong while ignoring worse incidents around the world. They repeatedly emphasize that an 18-year old was shot as a benchmark of brutality, yet they omit that it was in a weaponized struggle against an individual officer, and the youth is not dead. At the same time, they are choosing to give little coverage to riots and protests in Baghdad, Iraq, where police have opened fire on crowds with live ammunition, with over 65 dead as of this morning.

Thus, the Western media aren't telling us the truth. Their coverage is purposefully misrendering law enforcement in Hong Kong as political oppression, creating a falsified contrast with identical anti-riot laws and measures back home while also giving undue focus to events on the ground in the bid to consolidate the narrative while ignoring other activities elsewhere. In doing so, they are actively inflaming and enabling extreme disorder, lawlessness and a state of anarchy in the city with the protesters knowing they can do no wrong.

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styx said:

the boy shot was 14 years old, how can a kid have political thought? They are manipulated, why hong kong citizens accept vandalism from this bunch of hooligans?

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Central government agencies, major political groups, lawmakers, and many ordinary Hongkongers on Friday voiced their support to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government for enacting the anti-mask law amid spiraling rampage in the city, which will help police handle rioters.

Hong Kong social unrest cannot continue endlessly. It's time to come up with more effective measures to end the riots, Yang Guang, spokesperson of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Friday, after the new law was enacted, which would take effect on Saturday.

"We firmly support Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the HKSAR government, Hong Kong police and the judiciary bodies to take all necessary measures to punish all rioters according to law," he said.

Yang also noted that the biggest danger Hong Kong society is facing is rising violence and erosion of rule by law. "It's legitimate, reasonable and highly necessary to come up with this new law, as many countries and regions have established similar laws. Enforcing such a law won't affect Hong Kong people's freedom and rights prescribed by law, including their freedom of demonstration and assembly," Yang said.

The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong also extended support to the anti-mask law.

The central government has always adhered to the "one country, two systems" principle, a determination that will not change and waver, but we won't tolerate the repeated occurrence of acts that endanger the national sovereignty and security, the office said in a statement on Friday.

For days, rioters wearing masks openly desecrated the Chinese national flag, damaging banners to celebrate National Day and spray-painting graffiti that insults the nation. "All those acts which violate the Basic Law and Hong Kong regulations and challenge the ‘one country, two systems' principle should be firmly punished in accordance with law," the office added.

The central government is confident that the chief executive and the HKSAR government can make good use of the existing laws in Hong Kong to stop violence and restore order, it said.

The office called on all sectors of society in Hong Kong to recognize the serious harm of the violence and firmly support the regional government and the police in taking all necessary measures to maintain stability in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee released a statement soon after the HKSAR government announced to enact the anti-mask law.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Friday invoked emergency powers to enact a law banning face masks at illegal public assemblies. The law, which takes effect on Saturday, is expected to help quell months of anti-government violence and chaos in Hong Kong.

Any person who violates the law faces up to a year in jail and a fine of HK$25,000, which has exemptions.

As a major force that loves Hong Kong and the country, the statement said, CPPCC members had already called for implementing the anti-mask law by various means, such as publishing articles on newspapers and voicing our opinions at interviews and meetings, and Friday's move by the HKSAR government is a timely one.

After four months of unrest, Hong Kong has become a city of uncertainty, with most sectors facing sluggishness and society divided. However, a slew of violent activities have shown "signs of terrorism," which is distressing and painful, the statement said.

"We call on the government to shoulder greater responsibility in cracking down on violence and protecting the safety of residents, and we firmly support the law enforcement by Hong Kong police to restore social order," the statement said.

"Many residents have been looking forward to it as we have seen escalating violence over the past week," Tsuen Wan District Councilor Nixie Lam told the Global Times on Friday.

The intensity and scale of riots in recent days have been shifting from targeting government buildings to shops and banks, restaurants and shopping malls, which has been spreading to communities.

Rioters have been targeting MTR stations and throwing Molotov cocktails inside the stations, interfering in railway operations and breaking turnstiles.

Such rampage has caused delays and inconvenience to ordinary Hong Kong people.

The MTR said 83 stations have been damaged in recent riots, including 800 gates, 500 ticket vending machines and 700 CCTV cameras.

When radicals wear masks, they could hide their identities and become reckless and fearless, and banning face masks during illegal gatherings is necessary at this critical moment, some Hong Kong government officials said.

The Hong Kong Federation of Overseas Chinese Associations (HKFOCA) said on Friday afternoon that Western countries, including the US, Canada and France have long passed anti-mask laws, and most of these countries are signatories of the International Bill on Human Rights.

"Therefore, enacting the law does not violate the principles of the International Bill on Human Rights and will not intrude the freedom of demonstrations and assemblies of Hong Kong people," the HKFOCA said.

"Using special means at this critical juncture is a crucial step to stop violence," it said.

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