Hong Kong civil servants who support protests will perish with rioters, People’s Daily warns

Chinese state media tells government employees their careers are at stake as Beijing flags intervention in senior appointments

‘How can they continue with this misconduct while still enjoying high pay?’ asks commentary

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Hong Kong’s civil servants who support the protesters have come under fire in a harsh commentary by state newspaper People’s Daily. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 3:55pm, 3 Nov 2019Updated: 4:26pm, 4 Nov 2019

Hong Kong civil servants who support the protests that have rocked the city for more than five months will perish with the rioters, according to a weekend commentary in People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece.

“There is no middle ground on the issue of fighting against riots and unrest in Hong Kong … No matter whether they have given silent approval out of sympathy or connived to give support, there will be only one end to those civil servants who join the ‘black terror’. They will lose their careers and future,” the newspaper warned in the commentary published on Saturday night.

The harsh commentary described the behaviour of some Hong Kong institutions and civil servants as “surprisingly disappointing” and quoted the recent arrest of an assistant clerical officer from the Chief Secretary for Administration’s office as an example.

Hong Kong civil servants protest the government’s handling of the now-withdrawn extradition bill at a rally in August. Photo: Felix Wong

The article followed last week’s statement from Beijing, after a closed-door meeting the party’s elite, that the mainland would “enhance the system and mechanism over the appointment of the chief executive and principal officials”.

In a follow-up news conference, Shen Chunyao, head of the National People’s Congress committee overseeing the Basic Law, said the most direct way for Beijing to exercise authority over Hong Kong and Macau concerned the appointment of principal officials and the interpretation of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.

The People’s Daily commentary also condemned an initial decision, later revoked, by the Lands Department to require mainland banks in the city to remove protective shutters installed after attacks on their branches.