China backs student Australian protesters
China says it’s “totally understandable” pro-Beijing Chinese citizens marched.
China has backed its students in Australia and other countries that clashed with pro-Hong Kong protesters last week but says they must express their patriotism in a rational way and protect themselves from harm.
A statement from China’s foreign ministry said it was “totally understandable and reasonable” pro-Beijing Chinese citizens had participated in protests to counter those marching in support of Hong Kong’s democracy movement.
It comes as police were forced to separate pro-Hong Kong and pro-China protesters who clashed in simultaneous protests in Melbourne and Sydney on Friday night.
“It is totally understandable and reasonable for Chinese students and other Chinese citizens overseas to express indignation and opposition against such words and deeds that attempt to separate China and smear its image,” the statement reads. “Second, we also hope overseas Chinese can express their patriotism and protect themselves from harm.
“Third, the Chinese government asks overseas Chinese to observe local laws and regulations. In the meantime, we hope relevant countries can understand and respect their legal activities and protect their lawful rights and interests.”
Twitter overnight said it had shut down 936 mainland Chinese accounts for spreading disinformation, sowing political discord and undermining the Hong Kong protest movement as part of a “co-ordinated state-backed operation.”
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We're disclosing coordinated account activity focused on the ongoing protest movement in Hong Kong. Our investigations have found that these accounts are linked to state-backed information operations from mainland China.https://t.co/Pc9R90Dp85
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) August 19, 2019
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