Letters | Hong Kong police attack: what city can learn from London bombings reaction
- Britain stepped back from a spiral of revenge, antagonism and more terrorism
- More than ever, Hong Kong needs to rebuild trust, but nobody in the government has uttered one word to unify the city
Their subsequent policies responding to the attacks – a proposed introduction of 90-day detention without charge in terror cases, and compulsory ID cards – were dropped after a public outcry and a realisation that implementing such policies would be doing the terrorists’ job for them – changing our way of life.
Britain stepped back from a spiral of revenge, antagonism and more terrorism. It turned its focus towards trying to understand why people do such horrendous things to others. The situation isn’t perfect today, but I have no doubt that stepping back prevented more and potentially worse atrocities.
But I say, in all honesty, that we must attempt to understand why people act like this as an essential step to preventing it happening again.
04:24
After a horrific attack on a policeman, Hong Kong needs vigilance and calm
The Hong Kong government’s response is exactly what I would have expected of them – blaming everyone but themselves for these societal failings. Nobody in the government has uttered one word that unifies us. And they are making exactly the same mistakes as the British government: creating a spiral of “further tightening” and “more laws” that may well lead to more antagonism.