This is not alarmist talk: Hong Kong is heading for a breakdown in law and order
A growing crisis of confidence in law enforcement has seen questions raised about how long police can function effectively if violent protests continue
Anger among police has reached boiling point as officers feel blame has been pinned on them while radical protesters are glorified
Last week in Hong Kong, a well-respected businessman told me that as the city’s recent cycle of violence escalated, he had started receiving emails from overseas friends asking about his well-being and expressing concerns about the city’s overall safety.
On Tuesday, Charles Li Xiaojia, chief executive of stock market operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, told reporters international investors had voiced concerns about the fallout from the protests against the now-defunct extradition bill. Fortunately, no one had yet voted with their feet by leaving Hong Kong, he added.
Alas, that may change as the city braces for more violent protests in the coming weeks and months, particularly if last Sunday is any indication and political crisis cannot be averted.
The scenes involving protesters and police in the Sha Tin mall on Sunday night were the latest to dominate the news – in Hong Kong and abroad. Footage purporting to show excessive use of force by police or the brutal nature of the protesters, including one clip claiming to show an officer’s finger being bitten off, went viral on social media.
If such scenes continue – and the odds are they will – Hong Kong could witness a serious breakdown in law and order, which has been one of the fundamental cornerstones of the city’s success.
This is not alarmist talk. The risks are multiplying. The South China Morning Post and other local media reported this week that anger among the Hong Kong police has reached boiling point following the Sha Tin clash, as officers concluded that radical protesters have been glorified while all the blame has been pinned on law enforcement.
It remains uncertain how Beijing will react to the escalation of violence in Hong Kong. As Chinese officials monitor the latest developments in the city, some joke darkly that Beijing’s sway over Hong Kong is less now than before 1997, when the handover ended British colonial rule.
Beijing has become increasingly alarmed by the way radicals have hijacked the previously peaceful demonstrations, marking a shift as the protests move to target the overall political system in Hong Kong and its integration with the mainland.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. Photo: Reuters
Their demands now include a complete withdrawal of the bill, an amnesty for all protesters arrested for breaking laws, an independent commission of inquiry into the whole debacle, and Lam’s resignation. So far, Lam has steadfastly refused – but in reality, even if she wanted to meet those demands, she would have to seek Beijing’s consent. Indeed, there have been reports that she offered to resign several times in recent weeks but Beijing insisted she stay on.
As officials in Beijing debate solutions to the crisis, more violence in Hong Kong could play into the hands of hardliners in the central government. They have already advanced conspiracy theories suggesting the waves of protests were well organised and less spontaneous, indicating they were secretly instigated and coordinated by Western countries, including the US and Britain.
As they see it, their suspicions were confirmed when Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying met three senior officials of US President Donald Trump’s administration on a trip to Washington DC, including Vice-President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and national security adviser John Bolton.
Such high-level treatment is unusual, leading the conspiracy theorists to note that Lai’s flagship newspaper Apple Daily and its online media operations were openly supportive of the protests against the extradition bill. Their concerns are unlikely to be eased by the protesters’ rumoured plans to cause trouble at spots popular with mainland tourists and even storm the Hong Kong Police College passing-out parade on September 21.
Beijing has so far played its cards close to its chest, doing little beyond offering support for Lam to oversee Hong Kong according to the law. However, time is running out and further violent protests would make it increasingly difficult for her administration to govern.
In particular, whether Hong Kong’s 30,000-member police force can effectively function physically and mentally after weeks of intense confrontation with protesters has emerged as a serious matter of concern.
The force, long regarded as “Asia’s finest”, has become the most hated in the eyes of many Hongkongers, as the police are the most visible manifestation of government authority to maintain law and order. Protesters hold up placards condemning “evil police”, while personal information of officers and their families has been plastered on the city’s walls.
It is impossible for the same number of police to effectively handle waves of violent protesters in this politically and emotionally charged atmosphere. It raises unsettling but pertinent questions. What if the police are too worn out to do their jobs? What if they have to adopt more forceful measures than pepper spray and batons?
Either outcome would mark a dark day for Hong Kong. ■
Wang Xiangwei is the former editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post. He is now based in Beijing as editorial adviser to the paper
