Letters | US stand on Hong Kong protest violence betrays its true intent

Politicians who freely condemn the violence at home but support the rioting in Hong Kong are motivated not by concern for human rights but by hatred of China

Reading Time:2 minutes

US National Guard troops are issued firearms at the East Front of the US Capitol in Washington on January 13, as thousands were deployed in Washington in the days leading up to the inauguration of US President Joe Biden. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:15am, 6 Mar 2021Updated: 6:15am, 6 Mar 2021

In the wake of the US Capitol riot (their word) on January 6, Twitter and other social media suspended Donald Trump’s accounts, because Trump’s speech was considered incitement of violence.

Twitter is a private firm that has the right to reject a customer that they think is damaging their country. Twitter has put the country’s stability first. The collective right to social security takes precedence over an individual’s right to freedom of speech. The collective freedom from violence and chaos comes first. I wish Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists possessed Twitter’s wisdom.

Violence is against the law – no matter whether the violence is motivated by a protest against election fraud as Trump declared, by the pursuit of democracy as Hong Kong protesters declared, or by the fight for racial equality as the Black Lives Matter campaigners declared. Nothing justifies violence.

All governments have the responsibility to suppress violence to protect collective human rights. All judges have the responsibility to help restore social order quickly by heavily punishing rioters.

Trump sent in the National Guard to suppress the Black Lives Matter riots; yet he signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law to sanction actions aimed at curbing the Hong Kong unrest. Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence condemned Trump’s riot; yet praised Hong Kong rioters and said demonstrations were peaceful. Only Hongkongers knew if the damage to public facilities was “beautiful”. Only Hongkongers knew if it was safe to go out.

Democratic jurisdictions around the world have condemned the US Capitol riot, but like the US they glorified the violence in Hong Kong.