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Letters | Why Hong Kong police critics are aiming at the wrong target
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Why you can trust SCMP
I am always puzzled to read all sorts of reports regarding the Hong Kong police’s so-called excessive use of force on radical protesters or rioters since the unrest broke out in June last year.
To begin with, the police have been simply forced to deal with protesters by the government so as to cover its own blunders.
Faced with increasing violence from radicals, the only way out for the police is to use suitable force. To do that, the force used must be higher than that used by the radicals, or else the purpose of stopping violence can never be achieved – bearing in mind that there are surely vandals, arsonists and even murderers among them. This is common sense (“Hong Kong police may arm officers with electroshock devices, net guns”, January 15).
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Compared to their counterparts in other cities, the Hong Kong police are among the most self-restrained in the world. It is thus ridiculous and irresponsible to simply blame the police for protesters’ wrongdoings and radicalisation.
Seeing their “demands” going nowhere, the protesters have become desperate. The more desperate they are, the more radical they become.
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It has been suggested that, in a bid to get international attention, they even wilfully radicalise themselves, especially when in front of the cameras – to make for sensational images on television.
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