City in turmoil: After 10 weeks, Hong Kong protests show no sign of abating

RT
Sun, 11 Aug 2019 14:21 UTC

© REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Some 10 weeks after protests first began over a since-suspended extradition bill, Hong Kong continues to be a city in turmoil. Running battles between police and protesters are again dominating the news.

In the latest installment, thousands of protesters have clashed with police at various points in the center of the city. The situation escalated with petrol bombs being thrown at the police, as well as bricks, and officers used tear gas in an effort to quash the unrest.

The latest round of clashes began when protesters broke away from the authorized anti-government rally in Hong Kong's Victoria Park.

Many of them clad in black and others wearing yellow hard hats.

© REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

They are demanding the resignation of the city's leader, Carrie Lam, as well as reforms, and an investigation into the actions of police.

© REUTERS/Issei Kato

Meanwhile, business at Hong Kong International Airport continues to be disrupted by a mass sit-in after hundreds of protesters descended on August 9.

© REUTERS/Issei Kato

The protests have grown increasingly since the suspension of the extradition bill, which allowed for criminal suspects to be sent for trial to mainland China.

© A protester in Hong Kong, China. August 11, 2019.

A protester in Hong Kong, China. August 11, 2019.

Beijing believes that outside forces are attempting to aggravate the situation, with officials claiming that the US is the 'black hand' behind the protests.

© REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Those suspicions have been reinforced by the fact that many of the signs wielded by anti-government demonstrators are in English, and footage has appeared on social media showing some protesters waving the Stars and Stripes, singing the US national anthem.

© REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Police officers fire tear gas as anti-extradition bill protesters demonstrate in Sham Shui Po neighbourhood in Hong Kong.

Comment: As the CIA / NED backed protestors have virtually unlimited funds, they won't be letting up anytime soon. However, as Pepe Escobar opines, China may have deemed a forceful response to the situation in Hong Kong as 'not worth the effort':

Much to the distress of neocons and humanitarian imperialists, there won't be a bloody mainland China crackdown on protesters in Hong Kong - a Tiananmen 2.0. Why? Because it's not worth it.

Beijing has clearly identified the color revolution provocation inbuilt in the protests - with the NED excelling as CIA soft, facilitating the sprawl of fifth columnists even in the civil service.

There are other components, of course. The fact that Hong Kongers are right to be angry about what is a de facto Tycoon Club oligarchy controlling every nook and cranny of the economy. The local backlash against "the invasion of the mainlanders". And the relentless cultural war of Cantonese vs. Beijing, north vs. south, province vs. political center.

What these protests have accelerated is Beijing's conviction that Hong Kong is not worth its trust as a key node in China's massive integration/development project. Beijing invested no less than $18.8 billion to build the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, as part of the Greater Bay Area, to integrate Hong Kong with the mainland, not to snub it.

Now a bunch of useful idiots at least has graphically proven they don't deserve any sort of preferential treatment anymore.

See also: China blames US meddling for Hong Kong protests, warns criminals not to "play with fire"