{"id":190923,"date":"2019-07-02T06:36:23","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T06:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=190923"},"modified":"2019-07-04T06:18:49","modified_gmt":"2019-07-04T06:18:49","slug":"china-says-violent-hong-kong-protests-are-totally-intolerable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=190923","title":{"rendered":"China says violent Hong Kong protests are ‘totally intolerable’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Verna Yu \u2013 The Guardian July 2, 2019<\/h1>\n

\"ImageThe Chinese government has issued a strong condemnation of protesters who stormed and vandalised <\/a><\/strong><\/span>the Hong Kong\u2019s legislature late on Monday, calling the act \u201ctotally intolerable\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a statement carried by the state-run Xinhua news agency, the Chinese government\u2019s liaison office in Hong Kong<\/a>, its top representative organisation in the city, said it was \u201cshocked, indignant and strongly condemned\u201d the siege of the parliament building, which followed a day of protests against a controversial extradition bill late Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome extreme elements used excessive violence to storm the legislature building and carried out a series of large-scale assaults. This is shocking, heart-breaking and angering,\u201d the statement said. \u201cTheir violent acts are an extreme challenge to Hong Kong\u2019s rule of law and seriously undermined Hong Kong\u2019s peace and stability. It is totally intolerable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The statement said the China<\/a> liaison office backed the Hong Kong authorities to investigate the violent acts to safeguard Hong Kong\u2019s law and order.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council, or China\u2019s cabinet, issued a similarly-worded statement of condemnation, vowing to support the Hong Kong authorities in investigating the \u201cviolent offenders\u2019 criminal responsibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The statement said 1 July, the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong\u2019s handover of sovereignty from British to Chinese rule, should have been a \u201cjoyous day\u201d but some \u201cextreme radicals\u201d use the extradition bill as a pretext to storm the legislature.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese serious illegal actions trampled on Hong Kong\u2019s rule of law and damaged Hong Kong\u2019s social order,\u201d the statement said. \u201cIt is a blatant challenge to the bottom line of the \u2018One Country Two Systems\u2019 formula. We strongly condemn this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tensions over the weeks-long movement against the bill escalated on Monday, and Hong Kong police fired tear gas early on Tuesday to disperse hundreds of defiant protesters who had occupied the city\u2019s legislature on the anniversary of Hong Kong\u2019s 1997 return to Chinese rule.<\/span><\/p>\n

A state newspaper published by the Communist party mouthpiece the People\u2019s Daily also called for \u201czero tolerance\u201d of the incident.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOut of blind arrogance and rage, protesters showed a complete disregard for law and order,\u201d said both the Chinese and English versions of the Global Times in an editorial on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChinese society is all too aware that a zero-tolerance policy is the only remedy for such destructive behaviour witnessed. Otherwise, and without this policy, it would be similar to opening a Pandora\u2019s Box,\u201d it said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opponents of the extradition bill, which would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist party, fear it is a threat to Hong Kong\u2019s much-cherished rule of law.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a break with its silence over pro-democracy demonstrations in past weeks, Chinese state media ran footage Tuesday of police in Hong Kong clearing protesters from streets and moving into roads surrounding the legislative council, where protesters smashed through glass and metal barriers to occupy the space for about three hours on Monday night.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an editorial, the state-run China Daily reiterated the principle of \u201cone country, two systems\u201d in Hong Kong \u2013 a formula that allows freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China \u2013 saying the former British colony is an \u201cinalienable\u201d part of the China, and that Hong Kong affairs concern only China.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe only way for the special administrative region to sustain economic growth and maintain stability is for it to further integrate its own development into the nation\u2019s overall development,\u201d the newspaper said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the paper published a celebratory news report about the anniversary of the handover.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA festive atmosphere enveloped Hong Kong on Monday as people from different backgrounds joined various activities to celebrate the anniversary,\u201d wrote the newspaper.<\/span><\/p>\n

The article mentioned the protests in the final paragraphs of the story.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlso on Monday, a large number of protesters took to the streets to march against the government\u2019s suspended extradition amendment bill. Some clashed with police as they stormed into the legislative council,\u201d said the article.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe HKSAR government strongly condemned the acts and expressed deep regret over the violence. A government spokesperson said Hong Kong is a society that respects the rule of law and has never tolerated violence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Activists storm legislative building in Hong Kong. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

Hong Kong\u2019s leader, Carrie Lam, also condemned \u201cthe extreme use of violence\u201d by masked protesters who stormed and ransacked the city\u2019s legislature.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a pre-dawn press conference, Lam, the city\u2019s Beijing-appointed chief executive, described the scenes of vandalism as \u201cheartbreaking and shocking\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Monday, some hardline protesters said they felt compelled to storm parliament because their concerns were going unheard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have marched, staged sit-ins … but the government has remained unmoved,\u201d Joey, a 26-year-old protester, told AFP as she walked over shattered glass inside the building.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to show the government that we won\u2019t just sit here and do nothing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source \u2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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