Offices vandalised, volunteers harassed: pro-establishment politicians cry foul ahead of Hong Kong district council elections

In the third instalment of a four-part series, we look at the pro-establishment camp’s uphill battle for votes as protests affect voters’ mood

Litany of complaints not a ploy to get elections postponed, pro-Beijing candidates insist

Reading Time:5 minutes

The site of political offices being violently targeted has become more common in the lead-up to next month’s district council elections. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 10:00am, 24 Oct 2019Updated: 10:55am, 24 Oct 2019

The run-up to next month’s district council elections has left Hong Kong’s pro-establishment camp not only worried about its chances, but also crying foul at being unfairly targeted by protesters.

As pan-democrat candidates launch their toughest challenge ever to sweep the polls, hoping to secure victory on the back of the city’s anti-government protests, the pro-establishment camp has complained that its offices have been vandalised and its supporters harassed.

Some in the camp sense that public sentiment has changed so much that voters are not interested in listening to candidates talk about the usual livelihood issues.

Instead, in campaign videos, the city’s largest pro-establishment party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), has switched to playing up violent scenes from anti-government protests, which have gripped the city for nearly five months.

The message the party keeps emphasising is its call for reason to prevail, and to ensure a better future for the next generation.

Vandals target the front of a Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions building in To Kwa Wan in August. Photo: Sam Tsang

The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), another large pro-government party, has also come out condemning protest violence, but lately has found itself facing criticism from supporters who say the party had done too little during months of political unrest to help restore law and order.