Hong Kong violence prompts debate but no division among protesters

By Agence France-Presse

Hong Kong’s more hardline pro-democracy protesters have embraced increased violence towards private property, businesses and even people, triggering some soul-searching within the movement. But few moderates are willing to abandon their more radical comrades.

A movement initially founded on defending Hong Kong’s independent judiciary from the authoritarian mainland was now increasingly meting out street justice (AFP / Anthony WALLACE / MANILA BULLETIN)

Even by the standards of Hong Kong’s summer of rage, the last fortnight has been brutal.

After months of focusing their anger towards police, local government and symbols of Beijing’s rule, hardcore protesters went on an unprecedented city-wide vandalism spree after the city’s leader invoked emergency powers to ban face masks.

The subway system — viewed as an enemy for ferrying police and shuttering stations — was crippled, with some 2,400 ticketing machines and turnstiles vandalized alongside 900 CCTV cameras in 83 of the city’s 94 metro stations.

Businesses perceived to be mainland-Chinese owned or Beijing loyalist were trashed with color-coded lists detailing which companies were fair game and which should be left alone.

And multiple clashes showed demonstrators beating their ideological opponents.

‘Red Guards’? 

In one incident, a Chinese JP Morgan employee was punched in the face as a crowd shouted “Go home!”. In another, a man who tried to stop protesters defacing a Chinese flag was repeatedly assaulted.

A movement initially founded on defending Hong Kong’s independent judiciary from the authoritarian mainland was now increasingly meting out street justice.

The scenes have provoked debate on the online forums used to organize the largely leaderless protests.

One post — which received more than 9,000 upvotes — asked whether radicals were going after the wrong targets.

“Continuing to escalate vandalism will only help public opinions on the opposite side and lose our support from international community,” the author wrote, fretting that radicals risked being seen as a new iteration of Mao’s violent “Red Guards”.

At a press conference on Friday night, anonymous protesters hinted at concerns some of the violence might be counter-productive.

“I hope fellow companions will not be controlled by hatred,” a spokesman said.

But there was little let up in the chaos Sunday with more vandalism and fights erupting across the city.

Meanwhile, China’s leader Xi Jinping said during a state visit to Nepal that any attempts to split China would result in “bodies smashed and bones ground to powder”.