Opinion | To end the violence, both sides must step back but it’s up to Carrie Lam, as Hong Kong’s leader, to broker a ceasefire

Protesters feel that if they stop or restrict themselves to non-violent methods, the government will concede nothing. Both sides need to de-escalate, but the responsibility falls on the administration to take the initiative

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An injured man is attended to as he sits on the street after a clash during a protest in Tsuen Wan on August 5. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:15am, 14 Aug 2019Updated: 6:19am, 14 Aug 2019

For weeks now, Hong Kong has been the scene of violent protests and police deploying often unaccounted-for and excessive force. A few protesters have taken to using fire barrages and petrol bombs – weapons that Hong Kong has not seen deployed en masse since the 1960s.

On the other hand, tear gas – once taboo, and a tool of last resort – has now become the default response to flare-ups across multiple districts. Scenes of inappropriate use of force by the police against civilians in Tai Koo, Tsim Sha Tsui and Kwai Chung over the weekend have incensed many, and left many more with serious questions about the credibility of the police force.

What began as a protest against the extradition bill has evolved into a structural critique of governmental failure and ineptitude, inflamed by ministers’ inability to deliver any of their promises of achieving “reconciliation” or “listening to the public”.

The government and the establishment have been quick to condemn violence – yet they omit two essential steps in their hollow diagnosis: first, understanding why the violence is escalating and; second, recognising that they are complicit in undermining political stability and order.

The police force is spread thin in terms of manpower and also strategy and accountability mechanisms; the worry that the city could descend into pandemonium has generated a convenient window for cooler heads to be cast aside, as officers deploy greater force in an effort to deter other (often illegal) protests.

Yet in doing so, they have left many casualties – including a woman who may lose an eye after reportedly being shot with a beanbag round in Tsim Sha Tsui on Sunday evening, or those caught up in the tear gas at Kwai Chung MTR station.

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