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Opinion | ‘No blue ribbons and dogs’ is a sign that Hong Kong’s democracy movement has gone to the dogs
- Hongkongers who indulge violent protesters have unleashed hatred and hypocrisy
- Pro-democracy district councillors who discriminate against blue ribbons are doing a disservice to their cause and debasing public service
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In the months Hong Kong has been beset by social unrest, a significant number of Hongkongers have made a conscious decision to turn a blind eye to the destruction wrought by violent extremists, and even indulge political pyromaniacs by romanticising them as heroes of the “revolution of our times”. Consequently, their decision has unleashed hatred, unbridled bigotry and shameless hypocrisy.
This is how we got to the point that Sham Shui Po district councillors Lee Man-ho and Lao Ka-hang put up a sign outside their office which read “no blue ribbons and dogs allowed”. And then, of course, a scuffle broke out over it.
The sign had been put up to cause offence, obviously, but the fact that it had been put up by self-proclaimed supporters of democracy is surely the epitome of the hypocrisy this city is being held hostage to.
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Lee was elected on a message of “lighting the torch of democracy” last year, but he has openly and proudly declared on a radio show he does not consider blue ribbons, or people with different political views, to be human beings. It is absurd that he is unable to see he is no different from the people who call protesters “cockroaches”.
A democracy that dehumanises people with different opinions is the sort of democracy worth fighting against, not for. The lofty ideals that Lee and Lao claim to be fighting for are not licence to legitimise hatred and abuse public office.
Lao ran under the banner of the Civic Party, which is not above seeing the speck in another’s eye and failing to notice the beam in its own.
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