Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3015667/there-will-be-blood-if-hong-kong-protesters-continue-blur
Hong Kong/ Politics

There will be blood if Hong Kong protesters continue to blur the line between people power and mob rule

  • Yonden Lhatoo is alarmed by the 15-hour siege of police headquarters by mostly young protesters and the implications for the rule of law in a deeply divided and troubled city
A protester throws an egg into the wall of the police headquarters in Wan Chai. Photo: Reuters

I devoted my last two columns to appeal for understanding of Hong Kong’s youth and their frustrations in the context of why they have been taking to the streets with such intensity against the government’s now-suspended extradition bill.

Their sense of feeling alienated, downtrodden, disrespected and left behind is very real, and they have made it abundantly clear to our hitherto deaf government officials nestled in their ivory towers that the young voices of this city can no longer be ignored as inconsequential or fringe talk.

A protester throws an egg into the wall of the police headquarters in Wan Chai. Photo: Reuters
A protester throws an egg into the wall of the police headquarters in Wan Chai. Photo: Reuters

Having said that, I have serious issues with what they did on Friday, besieging police headquarters for 15 hours straight in a radical protest involving the use of mob mobilisation and guerilla tactics the likes of which Hong Kong has never seen before.

Police, apparently under strict orders to avoid any confrontation, retreated inside the building while a howling mob outside sealed all entrances with metal barriers to make sure no one could get in or out. I dread to think of the consequences if a fire had broken out in the premises, but hey, this is what democracy is all about, purportedly.

They pelted the building front with eggs, covered CCTV cameras with adhesive tape, defaced the walls with obscene and hateful messages, and pretty much held top brass, frontline officers and support staff hostage for hours on end.

Protesters use flashlights on their mobile phones to shine into police headquarters as crowds surround the complex in a 15-hour stand-off. Photo: Felix Wong
Protesters use flashlights on their mobile phones to shine into police headquarters as crowds surround the complex in a 15-hour stand-off. Photo: Felix Wong

There were pregnant women and others needing medical treatment inside. Thirteen had to be taken to hospital late at night, some of them on stretchers.

A shirtless demonstrator hurls an object at the police complex. Photo: AFP
A shirtless demonstrator hurls an object at the police complex. Photo: AFP

Much of the news coverage of this day of anarchy – you read right, anarchy – has been almost a tribute to the tenacity and audacity of these seemingly leaderless young men and women, their hit-and-run strategy in moving swiftly from one government target to the next based on the famous philosophy of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee: “Water can flow or it can crash; be water, my friend.

What many seem to be missing or glossing over is the enormity of this extraordinary turn of events in terms of what it means for the authority and ability of our police force to keep Hong Kong safe. And beyond that, the implications for the rule of law, that most crucial of pillars still propping up this deeply divided and troubled city.

Think about it: the fact that the command base of law enforcement was paralysed in this manner meant citizens’ emergency calls to the 999 hotline could not be attended to at the height of the protest.

Shattered eggs line the foot of a wall at police headquarters. Photo: Felix Wong
Shattered eggs line the foot of a wall at police headquarters. Photo: Felix Wong

How is this acceptable, by any measure, for any cause? And as for those who have been appealing to the US and British governments for help to stop “all the repression in Hong Kong”, just imagine how police in the countries they admire so much would have responded to a lynch mob at their gates.

A protester stands in front of a wall at the police headquarters in Wan Chai, splattered with thrown eggs and graffiti. Photo: Felix Wong
A protester stands in front of a wall at the police headquarters in Wan Chai, splattered with thrown eggs and graffiti. Photo: Felix Wong

There would have been blood, guaranteed. As there will be here in Hong Kong, mark my words, if this kind of lawlessness continues unabated.

When an estimated 2 million people marched peacefully on the streets earlier this month, it was an impressive display of people power. The takeover of roads and government buildings on Friday was mob rule in motion. There is a distinct line between the two and some of these youngsters are blurring it.

Demonstrators sitting in front of metal barricades stacked against exit points at police headquarters. Photo: Edmond So
Demonstrators sitting in front of metal barricades stacked against exit points at police headquarters. Photo: Edmond So

The risk of bloodshed was ostensibly why police held back and did nothing, and there was no sign of our city’s leaders for an entire day and night while “democracy” reigned supreme. Their reticence at this stage is understandable, given that many young protesters seem unafraid of batons or tear gas and a police crackdown would only provoke them further.

A protester covers up security cameras. Photo: Edmond So
A protester covers up security cameras. Photo: Edmond So

But where does it end? What are the limits? How much longer will this be allowed to go on, not just by the authorities but by the people of Hong Kong?

Thousands surround the police building as officers adopt a hands-off approach. Photo: EPA-EFE
Thousands surround the police building as officers adopt a hands-off approach. Photo: EPA-EFE

Several thousand Hongkongers were out there protesting on Friday night, but 7.5 million others were not, whatever their grievances against the government and police. Perhaps there is hope still.

Yonden Lhatoo is the chief news editor at the Post