Rebellion in Hong Kong

Trollslayer

Hong Kong protesters storm government building
This all started over the Hong Kong 'parliament' agreeing to a law that would let Hong Kong citizens be extradited for being suspected of committing crimes in Hong Kong.

SteakAndCake

I'd like to think that democracy and self determination will prevail, but it won't.  Those protesters are ****ed.  

Hong Kong is now no longer economically important enough to China for them to look the other way and pay lip service to the two systems.  

This only ends one way and it's whichever way the CPC wants it to.

Trollslayer

I wish I could disagree

SteveAWOL

Hopefully she doesn’t end up being disappeared by Chinese authorities, like the Tank Man of Tiananmen Square.

isabella steger on Twitter
Laurel Chor on Twitter

richp007

It's not looking good for Hong Kong at the moment

The attack by the white tops was pretty abhorrent, and a blatant stand down by the police whilst it happened too. With the media there more interested in criticising some bits of paint on a wall also.

SteakAndCake

Wonder what the CPC end game is here.

Obviously they can press the nuclear button and call in the troops but that's doesn't play well from a PR point of view. Failing that, I'm not sure how they put the lid back on this.

If you're authoritarian, you can only solve problems with more control.  They can't back off and allow more democracy, so I think it's just a matter of time until the Chinese army are mobilised.

At that point, the whole two systems thing is over.   The UK will roll over and say nothing, and the people of Hong Kong will be hung out to dry by the international community.

richp007

Yeah I don't feel it's going to end well at all, especially if as being reported the protestors are planning on ramping up their action for the next protests. It's kind of playing into their hands and giving them the authority to then come down hard.

Plus given where we are right now, no chance we'll be intervening.

SteakAndCake

I think you're right.  China is biding its time waiting for frustration to boil over into overt violence at which point they can point to the Croydon Riots or the St Louis riots and say, "well the West does the same", and get a pass on shutting down the riots.

It's an impossible situation because the CPC have already demonstrated to the people of Hong Kong that neither voting or peaceful protest achieves anything, so what other option is open to them?

richp007

They don't have any options, that's the cruelty of it.

Trollslayer

They could keep to the agreements made in the past.