▶️ A reporter is heckled and beaten as hundreds of pro-Beijing supporters take part in a “patriotic” rally in Hong Kong on the eve of a massive planned march from the opposing pro-democracy activists, Saturday, December 7. 👉 Hundreds of protesters waving red Chinese flags packed a Hong Kong park to denounce what they say is a reign of terror being imposed on the city by months of anti-government demonstrations. The protest highlighted the widening gulf between the pro- and anti-government camps in Hong Kong, with divisions that appear irreconcilable.
Compared to the hundreds of anti-government rallies that have gripped Hong Kong since June, the pro-China demonstration was a complete opposite. The Hong Kong police were praised as saviors, not bullies. China was presented as a country to love, not fear.
Chief among the demonstrators’ complaints was that they have grown scared of the black-clad, frequently violent, hard core of the anti-government movement.
Calling them “rioters,” many said hard-line protesters are destroying Hong Kong’s freedoms, rather than protecting them, by resorting to violence.
The police force has become hated by many anti-government protesters, furious over riot officers’ liberal use of choking tear gas and thousands of often muscular arrests.
Hong Kong’s new police commissioner, Chris Tang, said Saturday in Beijing that he’ll adopt both “hard and soft approaches” for policing protests. He spoke after his first meetings with Chinese officials since his appointment last month.
Hurling gasoline bombs or stones are “violent actions we will not tolerate,” he said. “But for other incidents, such as protesters walking off-road or other minor incidents, we will take humanistic and flexible approaches.”
Those pledges will be tested by a rally Sunday of the anti-government movement that will offer a fresh gauge of its appeal and ability to continue mobilizing support.
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