US senator Josh Hawley urges Hong Kong’s protesters to shun violence in their anti-government demonstrations
- America’s youngest sitting senator says it is important for protesters to be non-violent to ensure they ‘do not mimic the behaviour of Beijing’
- He finds the call for an independent probe into police’s role as ‘reasonable’, and vows to advocate for passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act
The youngest sitting senator in the United States has urged protesters in Hong Kong to be non-violent, as he claimed the city was sliding into a police state at the end of a two-day visit on Monday.
“It is important that the pro-democracy protesters continue to be non-violent, that they do not mimic the behaviour of Beijing and [its] supporters,” Hawley said, adding that he understood people’s desire to defend themselves.
He also said the protesters’ “Be Water” tactic to react swiftly to police deployment was fascinating and that the leaderless nature of the movement was remarkable.
Protesters on Sunday went on another rampage across the city as the social unrest entered its 19th week, attacking police officers, trashing metro stations and vandalising shops with mainland Chinese business ties.
