Opinion | Brutal Hong Kong police creating a cycle of violence in protest-torn city

Widespread protests broke out in Hong Kong on the 70th National Day of the People’s Republic of China, after a rally on September 28 to mark the fifth anniversary of the “Umbrella movement” and an anti-authoritarianism march the following day. The protests went ahead, with or without police permission.

Neither protesters nor police are backing down; instead, the violence has escalated. Molotov cocktails were thrown and tear gas and beanbag rounds fired all over the city on October 1. Police fired six real bullets, one of them into a young protester’s chest at point-blank range. The world has been shocked by the terrifying footage.

It is worth noting that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s “community dialogue” not only failed to calm the chaos, it further irritated the protesters.

The latest poll results from Chinese University’s Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies show that Lam’s approval rating has reached a new low of 28.2, down 50 per cent compared to last year.

Former chief justice Andrew Li Kwok-nang has expressed his concerns over the conflicts, saying: “[The] freedom of speech, assembly and demonstration are guaranteed under ‘one country, two systems’.” He also said the rule of law must be upheld and that violence cannot solve any conflicts and must be strongly condemned.