Chinese authorities accused Hong Kong demonstrators of engaging in “terrorism” and promised to stamp out protests mercilessly after a weekend of brutal crackdowns by police.
“Such violent crimes must be dealt with resolutely and in accordance with the law, without mercy,” Yang Guang, spokesman for China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, said Monday in remarks translated by state-run media.
Yang’s warning, the third in a series of unprecedented public comments by Beijing’s Hong Kong office, put a spotlight on protesters who reportedly threw petrol bombs at police, although state media acknowledged these incidents involved “a very small number” of people. But Chinese Communist authorities amplified the terrorism charge amid a wave of international outrage over police brutality during protests Sunday.
“If we allow these types of terrorist activities to continue, then Hong Kong will slide into a bottomless abyss,” China’s liaison office in Hong Kong added Monday.
Hong Kong protesters rallied across the semi-autonomous city over the weekend, including thousands of activists at Hong Kong International Airport, culminating in a cancellation of all flights Monday. Police responded to the demonstrations with an elaborate crackdown that included the use of plainclothes officers disguised as protesters to make arrests. Police were filmed firing nonlethal weapons at close range into groups of activists.
“I’ve seen police being provoked here but I’m speechless,” a BBC correspondent in Hong Kong tweeted. Hong Kong chief executive “Carrie Lam says no police inquiry needed [because] they’re investigating themselves.”
The protests that have rocked Hong Kong throughout the summer were sparked by anger over a Beijing-backed extradition bill that would allow mainland Chinese authorities to take custody of Hong Kong residents based on flimsy evidence. Hong Kong activists denounced the bill as a fig leaf for “legalized kidnapping,” stoking worry that China plans to break the “one country, two systems” promise made when the United Kingdom agreed to relinquish sovereignty over the city.
“The introduction of the extradition law that sparked protests in Hong Kong revealed a broader fear of Hong Kongers, that come 2047 (or before) they would be required to surrender their freedoms at the feet of Beijing,” Heritage Foundation policy analyst Olivia Enos said Monday.
Lam suspended the effort to pass the extradition bill but has never renounced the project entirely or agreed to release the protesters arrested during that initial controversy. Local law enforcement even in the early days portrayed the activists as rioters. Activists accused the police Monday of “framing protesters as aggressive” by planting weapons on them, a charge reinforced by footage of a police officer appearing to place a bamboo rod into the backpack of a man in custody.
“These are all crimes against humanity,” Nathan Law, a prominent pro-democracy activist who testified before Congress in May, tweeted Sunday. “None are normal. More protocols have been broken than I could count. The international community must pay attention to this kind of police brutality in Hong Kong.”
One woman who is at risk of losing sight in one eye after police reportedly struck her with a beanbag round became a symbol of police aggression on Monday, with protesters donning eye patches in her honor.
Chinese authorities maintain that the United States has orchestrated the protests, even though the demonstrations have involved hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people over the last 10 weeks.
“The U.S. has been making various Hong Kong-related accusations that are wanton, fact-distorting, and inflammatory,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Monday. “Some senior U.S. politicians and diplomatic officials met and engaged with anti-China rabble-rousers in Hong Kong, criticized China unreasonably, propped up violent and illegal activities, and undermined Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.”
American lawmakers have dismissed such statements of blame. “The people of Hong Kong are bravely standing up to the Chinese Communist Party as Beijing tries to encroach on their autonomy and freedom,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted Monday. “Any violent crackdown would be completely unacceptable. As I have said on the Senate floor: The world is watching.”
The White House was much less forceful in its condemnation of the Communists, suggesting demonstrators were just as much to blame for the violence. President Trump has echoed Beijing’s line by calling the protests “riots.” On Monday, a senior administration official said the White House was monitoring the situation. “Societies are best served when diverse political views are respected and can be freely and peacefully expressed,” he said. “The United States urges all sides to refrain from violence.”
