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Letters | How could most of Hong Kong vote in support of rioting and violence?

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Supporters of pro-democracy candidates celebrate with champagne in Tuen Mun on November 25, as results of the previous day’s Hong Kong district council elections come in. Photo: AFP
Pro-democracy hardliners have won a landslide victory in the district council elections and that has shaken the government to its core.
After six months of protests and violence, voters have rebuked the government and the silent majority have shown that they implicitly support the rioters. These mobsters have thrown petrol bombs, trashed MTR stations, built barricades to disrupt traffic, damaged the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, attacked pro-mainland shops, businesses and innocent people who disagreed with them.
These same miscreants have indelibly tarnished the image of peaceful demonstrators by setting fire to a man, slashed a police officer in the neck, fatally struck the head of a street cleaner, and shot another police officer in the leg with an arrow.

What can now be said is that the citizens of Hong Kong have shown defiance and hostility, and thrown down the gauntlet to the mainland.

It is a sad state of affairs to resort to violence and attack those who disagree, in the name of democracy. This reflects that they do not understand that democracy means tolerance for the views of others, not mercilessly attacking and destroying contrary voices.

We will see if the voters have unleashed the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Will there be more pestilence, fire and brimstone unleashed in Hong Kong, bringing its genteel society to a grinding halt?

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