Editorial | Enough is enough: this cycle of violence has to come to an end
- This is not a problem for Beijing to resolve; it is the authorities in Hong Kong who have been lax in making timely decisions that could have headed off the escalation to what is now a full-blown crisis
There has been no darker day for Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule 22 years ago than Sunday’s extremist events.
Sovereignty was directly attacked at Beijing’s representative office in the city by radical protesters hurling insults and abuse and defacing the national emblem of China. In the New Territories, an armed mob terrorised commuters at Yuen Long MTR station, leading to at least 45 injuries, one critical.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor can no longer stand by and expect others to solve a problem that is ultimately of her government’s making; she has to go beyond condemnation by taking decisive action, while police have to swiftly arrest the perpetrators.
Yuen Long and other towns in the New Territories have been paralysed by fear and uncertainty. Shops were closed Monday and banks, businesses and institutions told staff to go home early to avoid potential trouble.
Even US consumer tech giant Apple closed five of its retail stores in Hong Kong in the afternoon to allow staff to go home early. Its sixth store, in Kwun Tong, did not open for business Monday.