China Uses ‘Terrorism’ to Describe Hong Kong Protesters for the First Time
By Bryan Ke
August 13, 2019
A spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council has recently described the ongoing protests in Hong Kong as a sign of emerging “terrorism”.
At a press conference on Monday, spokesman Yang Guang called out the violent protest that occurred on Sunday when protesters threw petrol bombs at police officers as the unrest extends into its 10th consecutive week.
“Hong Kong’s radical demonstrators have repeatedly used extremely dangerous tools to attack police officers, which already constitutes a serious violent crime, and also shows the first signs of terrorism emerging,” he said during the briefing in Beijing, according to The Straits Times.
“This wantonly tramples on Hong Kong’s rule of law and social order.”
Yang condemned the “senseless” attacks of a “tiny minority” on Sunday as “a serious challenge to Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.”
“Hong Kong has reached a critical juncture. All those who care about the future of Hong Kong should stand up firmly and say ‘no’ to all criminal acts, and say ‘no’ to all violent elements,” the spokesman continued.
Yang also declared during the press briefing that the “violent criminal activity must be resolutely combated according to the law, without weakness or hesitation,” Shanghaiist reported.
The protest was ignited after the Hong Kong government announced an extradition bill in June which would mean criminals who committed crimes in Hong Kong would face trial in China.
Featured image screenshots via YouTube / ITV News
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