LettersHong Kong protests: bombs and guns are a dead end for democracy, focus on the power of the vote

The seizure of dangerous weapons from groups associated with the protests could be used to further suppress pro-democracy demonstrations and justify the enactment of a national security law

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Flames and smoke rise to the sky during a stand-off between riot police and protesters at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hung Hom, on November 18. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 7:00am, 27 Jan 2020Updated: 7:00am, 27 Jan 2020

“Five demands, not one less” has been the rallying cry of Hong Kong protesters in the months of rallies since the extradition bill first triggered massive demonstrations in June last year. The bill was formally withdrawn in October, but Hong Kong has continued to witness a series of both peaceful demonstrations and violent clashes.

A blanket amnesty for protest-related offences, as demanded by protesters, would, however, contradict the principle of “no one above the law”.

While most Hongkongers support an independent inquiry into the unrest, this proposal has been repeatedly rejected by the chief executive, who has also put down Hong Kong’s return to normalcy as a precondition for reform of the electoral system and the introduction of universal suffrage.

I wrote to the Post before suggesting that the Legislative Council establish a commission of independent inquiry with the authority to subpoena and sanction. Unfortunately, with pipe bombs and guns recently found by the Hong Kong police, there are two factors that diminish the traction of this suggestion.

First, these weapons, allegedly owned by a cell of radical protesters, can justify the police’s increased suppression of demonstrations and wider arrests of protesters.

Second, the actual deployment of these weapons in crowded places, like bus stops, MTR stations or shopping malls, and the resulting civilian and police casualties, would draw consequences far more severe than those recorded thus far.

Such casualties would nullify any claim of a peaceful movement, potentially inviting a sooner-than-expected adoption of a national security law under Article 23 of the Basic Law.

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} The seizure of dangerous weapons from groups associated with the protests could be used to further suppress pro-democracy demonstrations and justify the enactment of a national security law

The seizure of dangerous weapons from groups associated with the protests could be used to further suppress pro-democracy demonstrations and justify the enactment of a national security law