There is a considerable element of snowflakery in these protests. The “Students” want to vent unidentifiable angst this is not so much a revolution so much as a temper tantrum.
They are actually making the PRC look good as the government in Beijing has been extremely patient with this crap.
Are there social issues in HK? You bet. Could the government do a better job of not being run by property cartels and HSBC? You bet. But these protesters have not offered even one constructive piece of advice or proposed one remedy for the issues they are upset with. I am not even sure what they are upset about anymore.
It is not enough to just be angry. It is not enough to just pull down the old. Change is not always good. They are going to get change, change for the worse.
What do they expect is going to happen if they throw bottles and Molotov cocktails at the police? Tear gas doesn’t work because many of the protesters are wearing painters mask and goggles that filter it out.
Do they really think they can attack the police and people on the sidewalk and nobody is going to respond?
Hong Kong is my home town. I am ashamed of what it has become
Nonsense.
[Are there social issues in HK? You bet. Could the government do a better job of not being run by property cartels and HSBC? You bet. But these protesters have not offered even one constructive piece of advice or proposed one remedy for the issues they are upset with. I am not even sure what they are upset about anymore.]
That’s what these protests are about - freedom. When the Patriots revolted against the Crown, they did not present detailed position papers to Parliament. They said no taxation without representation. Successful armed revolt is clearly beyond the capabilities of these protestors.
But they have shown that they’re quite capable of facing up to a paid force backed up by the full might of the Chinese state. That’s pretty gutsy. When the police get hurt, they have their medical bills paid and potential disability pensions. When these protestors get hurt, they’re on their own.
Having spent a week on Hong Kong, I would make three observations:
1. What the residents want or appear to desire is total independence...making their own choices, running their own government, etc. Because of the UK hundred years and the advanced state of the area, it’s probably possible (except the Chinese government does’t agree).
2. HK is one of the few places I’ve ever been that respect of the police is extremely high. I witnessed a car accident one day, and the two drivers are getting extremely violent and argumentative....then the two female cops show up, and one raises a hand...the two drivers stop the argument and go into hyper quiet mode. I was amazed at the lightning fast speed this occurred. There was no damage really over either car (bumper to bumper situation). In 90 seconds, the cop dismisses both guys and they take off real quick.
3. I’ve watched this video of the teenager, and he was inciting the cop to the 9th degree to fire. It’s not logical behavior to get that close and physically intimidating the cop while he holds the gun. Maybe the kid had everything pumping, but it was a purely stupid move on his part.
I watched the video and they attacked a police officer with things like wrenches, hammers, and pipes. It was after this that one of them was shot. I hate communism but you can’t attack police and then be outraged that they use lethal force.
I also don’t see how the protests are going to accomplish anything. Unless they are willing to start an armed revolution, but they probably do not have any real weapons and even then I don’t see it working out unless they were able to stir up unrest in the rest of the country. China has always been ruled by an authoritarian government. I don’t see the mainland going for it. We have a hard enough time keeping America from sliding into that kind of government.
I was about to refute every point you made, even every sentence of your post, when I realized I’m already familiar with your pro-communist China stance from an earlier exchange, when you falsely claimed that “many of the protester were paid”, and that your niece “made $1800 Hong Kong dollars and got a free lunch to attend.”
Clearly your post #4 is intended to get the message of the CCP out amid almost universal condemnation of the HK police; and your feigned ignorance of the five clear demands of the protesters while claiming HK is your hometown only serves to give your position away.
For others reading about the news of the HK protests, be aware that:
- The Hong Kong police is heavily infiltrated by mainland riot police and other undesirable elements recruited by the CCP so that they only do the CCP’s biddings. As a result, the HK police no longer have to follow any law and are not even under the control of HK’s puppet chief anymore.
- Increasing police brutality is what is fueling the angry sentiments of the protesters, even more than any of the other demands for freedom. The CCP’s strategy to control the crowds had backfired.
- Many of the violent acts are actually perpetrated by the police. It is well-known that they disguise themselves and mix in with the protesters to incite violence and commit violent acts in order to smear the protesters. I’ve seen a photo of someone lighting a firebomb wearing a helmet similar to what the police use with an object that looks like a firearm clearly visible at his waist (yes, someone already did all the analyses). The CCP has a history of throwing firebombs.
- Only the CCP has the incentive to escalate the violence giving them the excuse to further curtail freedom and deploy more lethal weapons against the demonstrators, to the point live ammunition is being used in order to deter people from going in the streets.
- Wherever the CCP operates, one can expect to find without fail deceptions, lies, distortions, dirty tricks, gang violence, police brutality, unspeakable evil, and more.