Global Times warns Hong Kong could become the next ‘Ukraine or Thailand’
State mouthpiece known for bellicose editorials condemns sit-in protest in Central on Wednesday morning, says city must stay strong in face of upheaval
The state-run newspaper Global Times has warned its readers that Hong Kong faces becoming the next Ukraine or Thailand if it embraces a period of “political upheaval”.
The nationalist newspaper was responding to a sit-in demonstration in Central on Wednesday morning, ahead of an expected large-scale occupation in the near future.
In an editorial on Thursday, the newspaper condemned the hundreds of participants in the overnight sit-in on Chater Road, saying they posed a threat to Hong Kong’s rule of law.
"Without the rule of law, Hong Kong could sink into the likes of Ukraine or Thailand and all kinds of dangerous phenomena could happen," it said.
“The radical opposition organisers had admitted that their action would be unlawful. But they still went ahead,” the state mouthpiece said, apparently making reference to non-violent civil disobedience, a protest tactic that is more than a century old.
“After [their arrest], some of the troublemakers even unreasonably pointed their fingers at the police for ‘using force’,” it continued, without offering further details.
Protesters including a district councillor accused the police of using excessive force, and police have admitted twisting demonstrators’ wrists, elbows and necks in order to incapacitate them.