Hong Kong protest: Day of rage draws China closer to action
Authorities are losing control. But if China steps in, this surge of violence will look tame by comparison.
Throughout five months of fierce protest in Hong Kong it has never stopped being possible to look on the bright side.
Yes, the majority of the territory’s people are passionate in their demands for democratic reforms, from a local and a mainland government with no intention of giving in. But it could all have been so much worse.
Most of the protesters are peaceful. Despite violent confrontations between a hardcore minority and police, no one has been killed as a direct result.
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And Beijing, against which much of the anger is directed, has held back from using the People’s Liberation Army to suppress the movement.
Yesterday, however, it became harder to hope for the best.
The violence captured by mobile phone cameras leaves little doubt of the raw hatred that now animates both sides. A police motorbike deliberately driven into a crowd of protesters; a defiant student shot at close range by a police pistol; a man, apparently a supporter of the government, doused in flammable fluid and set alight. These are the acts of people who have given up on compromise.
The anti-government movement, mobilised through online social media groups, has at its core the idea that it should remain leaderless – because leaders can be arrested and imprisoned, or might quarrel among themselves and weaken the movement.
But the consequence is that lacking a head and a single voice, there is no one with whom the government can negotiate effectively.
The government itself is, in any case, chronically enfeebled. Its notional head, Carrie Lam, appears psychologically broken by the experience of the past few months and to have given up on the idea of leadership. Her aides and ministers are either incapable or too afraid to take up the responsibility.
That leaves only one player capable of bringing its energy to bear on the situation: the government of Beijing. So far it has held back from violently asserting its authority. Its red lines appear to be the risk of contagion to the mainland or a loss of control by the Hong Kong police and authorities.
The former looks less and less likely: mainlanders’ exposure to events in Hong Kong is limited, as is their sympathy for Hongkongers.
Yesterday’s ugly scenes, however, suggest that the authorities in the territory may be losing control, prompting Beijing to contemplate tougher action.
The protests show no signs of abating in the run-up to district council elections on November 24, in which more than 100 pro-democracy candidates are running. They will be a key test of support for the protesters’ demands.
More than 300,000 new voters have registered since the protests began and the outcome could provide a platform for their demands to coalesce around.
If the violence continues, however, the elections could be cancelled, and with them a peaceful outlet for frustrations.
If Beijing intervenes, yesterday’s scenes of violence could look tame in comparison.
The Times
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