Editorial | Christmas clashes are a sad reminder of need for effective solutions

The Christmas holidays were neither merry nor peaceful for Hongkongers. As we envied how the festive season was celebrated with love and joy across the globe, we stunned the world with images of arson, vandalism, tear gas and pepper spray that have become all too familiar over the past six months.

As usual, the clashes between protesters and police were greeted with support and resentment from different quarters in society. Concerns are growing that the situation may linger until the new year and beyond. Effective solutions are badly needed to help restore order and stability expeditiously.

It is a pity that chaos and violence returned after a brief respite. Unlike in the past, when they were confined to some protest areas in the evening, they moved inside festive shopping malls during the day.

Santa Claus and revellers were replaced by black-clad protesters and police with riot gear; the former trashing shops and singing Glory to Hong Kong, and the latter using pepper spray and force to subdue the crowd. Numbers were noticeably smaller than those at the height of the unrest, but the scenes were no less disturbing.

As usual, the government and police slammed the protest violence and denied using excessive force. The administration branded criticism by Hong Kong Watch, a British group set up in 2017 to monitor the city’s freedoms and human rights, as “fake, utterly irresponsible and grossly unfair”.