Hong Kong's "White" Christmas

Tear gas was fired at protesters in Tsim Sha Tsui on Christmas Eve

 

What is the Hong Kong government's end game with the protests that are into its seventh month?

The day before Christmas police clashed with protesters who took their demonstrations to shopping malls around town.

Protesters feeling from the tear gas on Nathan Road

Protesters dressed in black and wearing masks didn't want to be arrested for illegal assembly so they went "shopping" to continue to push for their five demands to be met, including the withdrawal of the extradition bill.

Things got more tense when undercover police officers confronted protesters and started beating up people with extendable batons. Others were pepper sprayed and riot police fired tear gas in Tsim Sha Tsui prompting someone on social media to sarcastically remark it was a "white Christmas" for Hong Kong...

Apparently the protests were so unruly that the MTR stations in Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok were closed down in the evening.

A day earlier Cardinal John Tong Hon issued a video message, urging for a truce during the Christmas holiday and to use the time off to cool down and reflect.

A protester being beaten by undercover police in a mall

Tong also called on the Hong Kong government to listen to the people and set up an independent inquiry into police handling of the protests, saying this would "help to re-establish mutual trust between the government and the people and pave the way for a dialogue of reconciliation".

As a Catholic herself, it's strange that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is not heeding these words of wisdom that he has repeated a few times over the past half year.

Similarly the Archbishop of Hong Kong's Anglican Church, Most Reverend Paul Kwong urged the government and protesters to use the holiday as an opportunity to "start a dialogue with courage, sincerity and humility, and to admit their own inadequacies and shortcomings".

"The government should not limit themselves to rigid thinking when they respond to voices from society, but should instead take practical measures or actions that are relevant to the needs of the citizens," Kwong said.

Cardinal John Tong called for peace during Christmas break

So how what is the end game? Lam keeps saying the violence has to end, but the police, more specifically the riot police, ratchet up tensions and violence and then people come out again the protest the violence... it's a never ending cycle.

Meanwhile the government does nothing except repeat its condemnation of the violence.

How is this productive at all?

This does not solve anything, making everyone more frustrated and stressed, angry and sad.

Perhaps the government is living in a parallel universe, unable to fully comprehend let alone empathize with what is going on in the streets of Hong Kong. Maybe it is still in denial about the November 24 district council elections where 17 out of the 18 districts turned yellow.

Riot police in Harbour City shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui

The people have spoken! The government should be responding to this quasi referendum of what people want.

Instead Hong Kong supposed leadership is hiding behind the police in the hopes that tear gassing people will make the problem go away...

Mixing Religion with Politics

The installation of Archbishop Paul Kwong (left) in 2007

The campaign against Occupy Central continues, and this time it's Reverend Paul Kwong, the Archbishop of the Hong Kong Anglican Church.

On Sunday he spoke to his congregation and gave a sermon on how to be a Christian.

He could not help but wade into politics, and perhaps it's not surprising that as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, he would have a particular slant on the July 1 march and Occupy Central.

"Whenever people see me, or other church leaders, they will say, 'We must speak up! Speak up at all times, on everything, understand? It is a must to fight'," he said.

"For what do people have to speak up so much? [It appears] as if they wouldn't have another chance, as if they were dumb otherwise," Kwong said.

He then talked about the virtues of silence, citing a Biblical story of how Jesus behaved when he was sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate.

"Jesus remained silent in the face of Pilate. He was like a lamb awaiting slaughter. Sometimes we don't have to say anything. Silence is better than saying anything."

Kwong also made a dig at the young protesters who were arrested on Chater Road in Central the day following the July 1 march.

"Last week some students arrested by the police told reporters: 'We had no food to eat. We had to queue up for the toilet'. I would say, 'why didn't they bring along their Filipino maids to the march'."

But perhaps the best part was when he said the city should keep quiet, just as "Jesus remained silent" in the face of crucifixion.

Not everyone was a fan of Kwong after he made these remarks.

A female caller told RTHK today that she was outraged by his sermon and that she now "needs to join another church".

"He is really outrageous," she said. "He has changed since his CPPCC appointment. He feels the need to speak for the central government. Does he know what the 'one country, two systems' policy is? He doesn't even know the Basic Law. How can he be a religious leader?"

It's interesting that Kwong is a member of the CPPCC as Beijing doesn't look too kindly on religion unless it's government sanctioned. Perhaps the Hong Kong Anglican Church is "harmonized" or politically correct towards the central government?

And since when does a religious leader (other than the Pope) make political comments?

And why is Kwong making fun of people who felt strongly enough to spend most of their public holiday to come out and march in the heat and rain with hundreds of thousands of other people to peacefully express their outrage about Beijing's white paper?

Some of the students may have been young and didn't know or think about what they were getting themselves into when they decided to stay overnight in Central. But the July 1 march is a good introduction to civic education, to exercise their right to express themselves and be part of a congenial atmosphere that is rare in Hong Kong the other 364 days of the year.

Kwong's most egregious comments are telling people not to speak up, and that they should be docile, like a lamb to the slaughter.

If we don't speak up and push back, then our freedoms and rights will be infringed upon even more -- no one is looking out for us -- the pan-democrats are too busy bickering amongst themselves, or throwing things in the Legislative Council. And so it is up to us to say something.

We understand that Beijing has some jurisdiction over Hong Kong -- but not all. The city still has rule of law that is unique as well as freedom of speech and the press.

The last I looked it's not 2047 yet...