Watch: When a ‘triad’ mob attacked Hong Kong’s protesters
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Version 0 of 1. The YouTube video above, published by supporters of Hong Kong's pro-democracy student movement, provides a useful synopsis of eve nts on Friday, when a mob of counter-protesters descended on a student-run Occupy site in the district of Mong Kok. The scuffles and violence that broke out horrified the city and led to student leaders pulling out of talks with the Hong Kong government that had, if only briefly, offered the prospect of a resolution to the week-long protests. The rancor of the moment has lingered well into the next day, with the threat of further violence still hanging over the city. The pro-democracy camp is justifiably angry with the Hong Kong government and its police force for doing little to thwart the mobs of "blue ribbons" -- the color now associated with those opposed to the ongoing "yellow ribbon" protests -- from attacking occupied protest sites on Friday. As the video shows, even when police tried to evacuate the protesters away from the clutches of the mob, the demonstrators were buffeted on all sides by harassment and abuse. The student protesters point to the contrast between what happened Friday to the heavy-handed actions taken the week before, when the police lobbed round after round of tear gas on peaceful protesters. Rights group Amnesty International accused the Hong Kong police of "failing in their duty" on Friday. Many also believe the apparently coordinated nature of the counter-protester offensive suggests the involvement of Hong Kong's notorious organized crime syndicates, or triads, in collusion with the authorities. New sign up near central govt offices after last night's scuffles in mongkok. pic.twitter.com/V5WaETEMOO— Ed Flanagan (@edmundflanagan) October 4, 2014 New sign up near central govt offices after last night's scuffles in mongkok. pic.twitter.com/V5WaETEMOO On Saturday, Occupy protest sites in Causeway Bay and Mong Kok saw heated arguments between student protesters and elderly locals. The students had reclaimed the site in Mong Kok overnight, but it became the source of acrimonious shouting and squabbling between the groups. While there may be some truth to the activists' allegations of paid "thugs" attacking them, it's also clear that some local Hong Kongers are genuinely fed up with the continued occupations, which have snarled traffic and disrupted businesses. Liam Fitzpatrick, a Hong Kong-based editor at TIME magazine, offers a bit more background: Most members of the blue-ribbon mobs, however, appear to working class, conservative Hong Kongers, who regard the student protests as a threat to economic stability when the ruinously high cost of living makes day-to-day survival difficult for many. Most members of the blue-ribbon mobs, however, appear to working class, conservative Hong Kongers, who regard the student protests as a threat to economic stability when the ruinously high cost of living makes day-to-day survival difficult for many. In North Point, a district further east of Admiralty and Causeway Bay that's historically been a beachhead for immigrants from the mainland, residents wearing blue ribbons rallied Saturday morning alongside the police. United Front rally at North point police station now. Chants "support the Hong Kong police, protect the rule of law." pic.twitter.com/iL7pEPZWeV— Neil Gough (@n_gough) October 4, 2014 United Front rally at North point police station now. Chants "support the Hong Kong police, protect the rule of law." pic.twitter.com/iL7pEPZWeV The divisions within this city of 7.2 million people are becoming more and more pronounced, and the Hong Kong government seems confident in its ability to wait out the protesters, who themselves know that they are losing popular support. During a news conference Saturday, the city's secretary for security, Lai Tung-Kwok, said the protesters' allegations that the police conspired with triads were "fabricated and unjustified" and applauded the efforts of his charges. "Our police will, as what they have been doing this past week, faithfully and truthfully enforce the law with patience," he said. |