What's behind the escalation in Hong Kong

Shooting one unarmed protester, repeatedly drawing their firearms on others, and attacking protesters around the city, Hong Kong police on Monday made physical their new directive from Beijing: break the pro-democracy movement with force.

To be clear, this police escalation is not accidental. It reflects Chinese President Xi Jinping’s decision, with the support of the powerful Standing Committee, to crush the protesters by force. Articulating the new tactics, Beijing’s Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam described the democracy activists as the “people’s enemy.” This choice of language is critically important. It reflects Beijing’s ruling that the people are in overt insurrection against the Chinese Communist Party itself.