Violent Mob Attacks Train Passengers

22/07/2019

Dozens of men, dressed in white shirts and believed to be triad gangsters, assaulted pro-democracy protesters and passers-by in the Yuen Long area of Hong Kong.

The men were armed with wooden batons and iron bars, which they used viciously against victims in enclosed spaces, including on train carriages and stations where they could not easily escape.

The police response was slow and inadequate.

It is clear that the attackers are pro-government, surprising perhaps for criminal gangs, and this has to be considered as a potential reason for the police to come to the defence of the protestors.

The Hong Kong government, who themselves orchestrated violent police reaction to the protests, may have denounced the attacks, but they have not done anywhere enough to protect their citizens.

The influence of China on the streets of Hong Kong is clearly reducing the freedoms and protections of the residents.  This is a deplorable situation and one that must be challenged at the very highest levels.  China has stressed that it will not accept interference from the UK over the situation in its former colony. That should not dissuade the UK government, and Jeremy Hunt (the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) in particular, from issuing very strong public criticism of the Chinese regime and considering what other action could or should be taken.