world

Rival rallies as Hong Kong's divisions deepen

14 Comments
By Jerome Taylor, Yan Zhao and Elaine Yu

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2019 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


14 Comments
Login to comment

I found this quote from a pro Beijing protester to be interesting;

"Their acts are not human, they have all become monsters. They are rioters, with no reason, no thinking," she said.

The Hong Kong freedom protesters do not look like monsters and they do have a reason for the protest (whether you agree with them or not).

In the end Hong Kong will belong to China (it does now). I empathize with the HK protesters. I would not want to live in a place where the CCP controls what I can access (news I can read, etc.).

I believe what is happening in HK is an insight into the future of the World.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Let the colonizers keep their democracy to their own people, let China keep prosperity.

And in your opinion, should we remain silent about the Chinese governments abhorrent record on human rights, and its continuing to ignore the human rights of its citizens?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Strangerland, what human rights ?

Exactly. They barely exist in China.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

The powerful Hong Kong protest movement is part of the ongoing overture to the unstable 21st century when the clash between rulers and the ruled over the exercise of freedom, the existence of human rights and the dignity of the individual will be fought out. Beijing is predictably playing with the rotten carrot of propaganda and brain-massaging before it takes out its big stick to beat the people of Hong Kong into submission. But the lesson autocrats never learn is that once the genie has escaped from the bottle, violence and terror will not work.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The liberal state exists to set the conditions of freedom in society, to stand above the fair fight. But all party systems exist to extend the power of their people -- to be their fighter. When "their people" are a diffuse electorate, this is relatively benign and subject to the (hopefully liberal) ideology of the party. But when the powerful few shift the party's focus to a few patrons with the means to win elections and the commitment to select those who put their interests first, this dynamic becomes caustic.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

e: "Their acts are not human, they have all become monsters. They are rioters, with no reason, no thinking," she said.

In researching this fairly on both sides, seems the police are excessive in the use of force, sort of like a bow n arrow vs armored high tech...hmmm and each event its the police who fire first. The group is only doing what is humanly right and defend themselves and others. The "no reason" of this comment doesn't make sense as the group has stated the entire reason as to why they are protesting in the first place else there would be no protesting, and as for thinking you can't have protesting without a reason and clearly lots of thinking behind if it has gone this far. China's restraint is only a farce and they have no intention to change anything else they would be coming to terms and trying to use the dialogue approach simply honor the agreement they committed too during the turnover. It's that simple.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Their acts are not human, they have all become monsters.

This is not going to end well. Dehumanizing the opponents. History has too many examples of what happens next.

Im not sure shutting down the airport was the best strategy. It plays right into the hands of the Chinese propanga machine being ramped up and moving into the next phase. We all feel for you Hong Kong but be smart. There is no moral compass for the CCP who see this disobedience as a dire threat to not only its precious image but its very existence. Its either win or loose, by all means necessary.

Surely there are cooler heads on both sides that want to and could negotiate. Find a middle ground and gain at least some of the protesters demands. We need some pragmatism pronto.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

 It's no wonder people from the other side has popped up suddenly, not that I blame them.

Those people 'from the other side' are CCP stooges planted in. That's how totalitarian regimes quash opposition. Remember O'Brian from '1984'.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This sounds ominous. While “silent majorities” exist, by definition they don’t get out in the streets.

A possible exception was the participation of 1 million Hong Kongers in an earlier march against the proposed extradition law. If one asks why it hasn’t been repeated there may be a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, harassment by triad gangs, activities of agents provocateurs and a desire to disassociate with violence. It seems that the Hong Kong silent majority have returned to character. I don’t blame them.

The “across the harbor” protests, in contrast, though purportedly a reflection of the same “silent majority” bear the hallmarks of old-fashioned “spontaneous outpourings of support for the government”, i.e. counter demonstrations organized and orchestrated by the CP of the PRC. To be fair, many participants may just want a return to normalcy and punishment of the “intelligentsia” they may hold responsible for the troubles.

These protests it should be noted are much more accessible from Shenzhen where military units are awaiting orders. I can well imagine the triumphal entry of these units through flower-strewn streets and past deliriously cheering crowds welcoming their saviors.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Protesters may have a just cause, but China is not going to give into the demands. Sacraficing HK comes before letting you roam free. So I ask you, where does that leave the economic prospects of hk? It's no wonder people from the other side has popped up suddenly, not that I blame them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

China may be a relatively benign dictatorship, but only when compared to places like North Korea.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

When a non-violent movement turns radical, it indicates infiltration or hijacking by extremists. Such disruptions may be masterminded by competing interests or the opposition to undermine the movement.

The alt-right and antifa both use such tactics.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

This is a major headache for the regime in Peking, but a) I do not believe that the HK protests are able to spread to the mainland, and b) the Peking regime can no allow this to fester for a long time, so I expect in a couple of weeks or so they will clamp down violently, much as they hate the bad publicity.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Let the colonizers keep their democracy to their own people, let China keep prosperity.

-9 ( +0 / -9 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites