This letter from overseas dignitaries calling on Hong Kong authorities to curb police violence, launch an inquiry and introduce political reform didn’t have much effect on the cops’ tactics, judging from yesterday’s mayhem.
The cops’ New Year’s resolution seems to be to ramp up the use of undercovers dressed as protesters – complete with macho bandana-type head/face gear and concealable short-barreled shotguns – and to arrest people by the hundreds. Nearly seven months in, maybe this will finally work!
Still, the letter hit a raw nerve somewhere in officialdom late New Year’s Eve, as it prompted a particularly lengthy and whiny government response (or perhaps the spin-doctors on the night shift were annoyed at having their office drinks party ruined).
For an even greater moment in anti-protest discourse, try this article (originally in China Daily), which is currently circulating on the blue-ribbon web…
…the rioters themselves are more and more radicalized, now often resembling extremist Islamic groups in the Middle East. They are thoroughly brainwashed, they use comfort women, and they are consuming narcotics, including “ice”, amphetamines and certain so-called “combat drugs”, which have been already injected into places such as Syria and Yemen, by the West…
And yes, thanks to Western funding and CIA control of Hong Kong’s protests, the movement over the holidays started to employ terrifying new technologically advanced and sophisticated weaponry. Behold – the police vehicles immobilized by plastic wrap.
As a certified rioter myself, I am already familiar with the ‘ice’ (Haagen-Dasz. My fave flavour is ‘coffee’). Where do you reckon I can find those ‘comfort women’?
Time to ban plastic wraps by emergency law
Casira — it really wouldn’t surprise me if the authorities decided to do just that. After all, their recent reactions to protest developments have included introducing that facial covering ban and also getting rid of glass recycling on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon!
“Centre for Research on Globalization” not exactly known for its impartial reporting…..No wonder the blue ribbons love it!!!!
Nearly seven months in, maybe this will finally work!
Like encouraging hundreds of pedestrians arrested on vague, and most likely unenforceable charges, and commuters subjected to arbitrary stop and search every time they are near a tunnel, to join the next demonstration.
And lets no go into the hundreds of folk living along the Nathan Road corridor who had to evacuate their homes over Xmas and New Year’s Eves to escape teargas and had to spend the rest of the holidays cleaning their homes, again.
@mary – Odd how that tear gas didn’t seem to have an effect on Andre Vitchek, the author of that weird global research article, who claimed to have witnessed press collaborating with protesters. Why didn’t he go up and talk in order to query them upon their allegiances?
And the cops and bluenoses are seeing this crap as morale lifting? We’re entering into a bizarre sphere in the propaganda wars. A man who embeds himself with Russian forces and now trying the same here
Bring back the British East India Company!
Re China Daily link
The fact that the only photo they could find to run with the headline “Police in Hong Kong Brutalized by Rioters, While Attacked by the Western Press” is a wildly off-message one of a pepper-sprayed journalist being treated by protest first-aiders says everything you need to know about the veracity of their claims.
@Joe Blow
We scored our rioting ice from Dood Bottega Gelateria in Wanchai Road (whilst avoiding the Jolly Green Psychos). The pistachio is terrifyingly expensive but ohhhh soooo good. Black Sesame also amazing. 9/10 Would riot for it again.
No sign of comfort women, but we helped some heart-breakingly grateful kids out with tips on where we’d just seen the Jolly Green Psychos, and how they might best avoid them: I found that was mildly comforting work — does that count?
@Joe Blow
Try the Department of Justice
Great to see the protesters now taking it out on HSBC, and in particular the HSBC lions.
In my view, everyone in the city should be given until the end of the month to demonstrate that none of their cash assets are held by the bank. If they fail to do so, then I suggest that they be publicly tarred and feathered – Tamar Park would provide a wonderful venue for such communal shamings. Indeed senior figures working out of HSBC’s main building in Central, as well as those in the Government offices, would get a superb view of the action, thus giving them lots to reflect upon.
Would love to see more Alex Lo material cited. He IS after all the voice of authority about what the protesters are doing, and anything written without citing him fails to move the needle for me. I mean the needle that helps induce sarcastic laughter.