Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing politicians and media drool with glee this morning, while pro-democrats and Occupy Central activists squirm in discomfort. After 53 days of non-violent civil disobedience, someone broke a couple of windows. It’s the Great Legislative Council Door Massacre of 2014 – an orgy of wanton savagery and carnage, Hong Kong-style, and a gift to establishment forces determined to portray the students and protestors as blood-crazed CIA-backed psychopaths and enemies of the people.
The details are hard to get excited about. Some of the most impatient and radical elements in the leaderless Umbrella/Occupy movement were gripped by (or spread) rumours of imminent introduction of a proposed (and nonsensical-sounding) law on Internet copyright that could criminalize (more likely, provoke tons of) parody. Mysterious masked men seized bricks and metal barriers and attacked a couple of innocent and defenceless Legco building doors. Mild-mannered campaigners for democracy, freedom and justice reel in horror, imagining government agents provocateurs as the only reasonable explanation. Odious pro-Beijing lawmakers act outraged and taunt their opponents, who desperately rush to condemn the violence. The cops arrest half a dozen guys.
Thus Occupy Central – this particular bout of sit-ins by kids in tents on streets – pretty much, you would think, jumps the shark. Observers maintaining for the 50th straight day that now is the time for the protestors to go home may finally be right. Gloating officials and pro-establishment figures feel confident quietly suggesting that the recent bailiff-led action to clear a small portion of occupied Admiralty is just a test and just the start.
Admiralty is full of middle-class school kids who will soon start feeling the cold. Their maids will be coming down the hill to wrap them up in woolen scarves and march them home for warm milk and cookies. The challenge for the authorities is over the harbour. Comedian Chris Rock once mocked the George W Bush administration’s hubris after toppling the Iraqi regime in two weeks by daring them to try taking Baltimore in that time. In our case, that would be Mongkok. ‘Gritty’ Mongkok, as the overseas press calls it. Or, as you can’t help noticing on passing the third Chow Sang Sang in 75 yards, ‘awful-lot-of-windows Mongkok’.
If Plod manages to arrest the window smashers, and they go to court, it will be interesting to see how connected they are to the Umbrella Movement.
Cynical view – trouble stirred up by The Dark Side?
Several policemen on duty kick a human being on the ground but nothing much happens.
A pane or two is broken and all hell breaks lose.
I am shocked…SHOCKED by this latest development!! What’s next? Congee tossing at government officials and egging their cars (and the cars of illegally parked privileged sh*theads)??
The last bit about egging is in no way a suggestion…not at all. Never. No way.
I guess The Great Mong Kok Carnival will run at least through the weekend since it wasn’t cleared out today. The pigs would show that they didn’t learn their lesson the last time they tried this on a Friday if they were try again tomorrow.
worst since taxi tantrum in 80s & excluding Koreans jumping into feces infested water during some rip off farmers conference .. should be held under same jurisdiction/guidance as in the West – that is police brutality
Kids lost when dubious organizer went back to schooling; allegedly achieving – is perhaps 65 sqft public housing
Wondering about police in Melbourne, Vancouver, London, Ferguson
The window smashers were denizens of Golden Forum, which is apparently like Hong Kong’s version of 4Chan. As in, a pit of spotty, sexually frustrated, misanthropic teenage wankers. I’m not too surprised by this kind of behaviour from them.
Interestingly, this tracks with findings from the Hong Kong Transition Project. The most anti-establishment people in Hong Kong, apart from students, are uneducated young men. Who are exactly the demographic that has a lot of free time to spend raging on the internet between working part time at Watami and getting nagged by mum to pick up their socks.
As long as the Government refuses to take the democracy movement serious, the occupation must go on. There is no point in stopping now. Gaa yau !!
And you are right, Hemlock: last nite’s brick-through-window incident is child’s play compared to the fireworks in Mongkok next week.
The pro-Beijing camp trying to use this as the Reichstag Fire
Mongkok has a population density of 130,000 activists per km2.
It is the most densely populated area in the world. On a par with the Warsaw Ghetto.
Don’t be surprised if the population of the Democratic People’s Republic of Mongkok will put up a fight that equals the one in Warsaw in 1943.
What do they have to lose ?
Patten’s subtle but waspish digs are always a pleasure.