TheEconomistOctober 5th 2019 371O
ctober 1st, the 70th anniversary of the
founding of the People’s Republic of
China, was never likely to be joyous in
Hong Kong. For over four months the city
had been in increasingly violent revolt,
with protesters demanding full democracy
and denouncing the Communist Party’s in-
terference in the territory’s liberal way of
life. They said they would mark the coun-
try’s national day as a “day of mourning”.
Indeed, it proved a dark one.
Across the territory, protesters
marched, lit fires (sometimes of Chinese
flags) and displayed placards referring to
“ChiNazis”. They also goaded the police,
who responded fiercely. More than 100
people were taken hospital, including two
who were in a critical condition. One was
an 18-year-old student, Tsang Chi-kin, who
is said to be “stable”. He was shot in the
chest by an officer using a pistol at close
range. It was the first casualty involving
live ammunition since the unrest began,
and has inflamed passions. On October 2nd
peaceful demonstrations against the
shooting descended into violence, with
protesters vandalising shops and stations.Police had warned that officers feared
having to shoot people in order to protect
themselves. In this case videos showed
protesters viciously attacking a policeman
on the ground before a colleague ran to-
wards the group and fired at Mr Tsang (a
different incident is pictured). The police
have defended the shooting as “reasonable
and legal”. But for a force that prides itself
on its restraint, it marks a dangerous esca-
lation. The officer who used the gun also
carried non-lethal weapons.
It will certainly complicate the local
government’s efforts to defuse the unrest,
which was triggered in June its attempt to
introduce a bill allowing criminal suspects
to be extradited to mainland China. Hong
Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, has
promised to withdraw the bill. But protes-
ters have other demands, including an in-
vestigation into police conduct. In Septem-ber the government promised an inquiry,
but demonstrators say the body that would
conduct this is pro-police.
Mrs Lam, in Beijing for the national-day
festivities, had tried to avert trouble by ton-
ing down official celebrations in Hong
Kong. A grand fireworks display was can-
celled. The police also refused an applica-
tion by protesters for a large march on
Hong Kong island. But such measures were
in vain. Tens of thousands of people staged
a march anyway. Afterwards scattered riots
broke out across the territory. Five police
were hospitalised, including one with
third-degree burns, allegedly caused by
corrosive fluid thrown by rioters.
Early in the summer there was much
speculation that the mainland authorities
were mulling using troops to crush the un-
rest. Officials have since tried to downplay
this possibility. In September Song Ru’an, a
senior Chinese diplomat in Hong Kong, ex-
pressed confidence in the local govern-
ment’s ability to restore calm. Neverthe-
less, Reuters news agency has reported a
recent surge in the number of Chinese
troops stationed in the territory, from
about 3,000-5,000 to around 10,000-
12,000. Police groups and Communist
Party-controlled media in Hong Kong have
urged the use of a colonial-era emergency
law to quell the unrest, which would allow
sweeping curbs on civil liberties.
Mrs Lam, having earlier expressed re-
luctance to do this, may be changing her
mind. The South China Morning Post, a local
newspaper, said she was preparing to in-Unrest in Hong KongCrashing the party
HONG KONG
On October 1st China marked 70 years of Communist rule. Our stories and
column look at the day’s importance—first, for Hong KongChina
38 Newweaponsondisplay
40 Chaguan: Distorting the pastAlso in this section