Beijing appeals to Hong Kong public to help restore order in the city
- State media urge ‘people who love’ the city to stand with its embattled police and administration
Beijing is trying to rally the Hong Kong public to help restore the city’s social order, in its latest strategy to find an end to the anti-government unrest engulfing the city this summer.
Top Communist Party mouthpieces issued new commentaries on Tuesday after defiant protesters unleashed chaos across the city on Monday, and workers in various sectors took part in a general strike.
An opinion piece carried by state news agency Xinhua said Hong Kong could not bear more chaos and violence that threaten “unthinkable consequences”.
“Everyone [in Hong Kong] needs to pause and think about whether Hong Kong can withstand any more suffering, chaos and sacrifice of the public interest. [They] should not be held hostage, nor tolerate violence and swallow the bitter fruit of social chaos,” the commentary said.
“Let’s all take a stand to say no to violence and bring Hong Kong back to reason and peace, rather than the path of no return.”
In a front-page staff commentary, Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily said the central government “resolutely support actions to safeguard Hong Kong’s law and order by patriots and people who love Hong Kong”.
