The Hong Kong Crisis

[garbon]

What exactly are we planning to protect that is worth keeping safe?

Mono  (this pension).

I think you missed the intent of my question.

[Eddie Teach]

Was it to be a bitch?

[garbon]

Something about making one's bed.

[Josquius]

Mono is just some guy working in 7-11. He'll be FINE.

(shh!)

[Tamas]

The protesters seem to have broken into the Legislative Chamber and vandalised it. Several people are speculating the police failed to properly intervene in an effort to turn public opinion against the protesters.

I guess you could easily find a parallel:

In 2006 during the riots in Budapest (this was under a socialist government), football hooligans besieged than assaulted the state TV headquarters one night. The meagre riot police force defending it was never reinforced despite some very violent scenes. The building fell under the temporary control of the rioters, they ransacked it and left. Anecdotal evidence I also heard personally suggest that a much larger force was kept in reserve close by but was ordered not to intervene.

In the following days, a major police crackdown on the streets began, reacting quite ruthlessly to any appearance of right-wing rioters, which culminated in the chaotic day of 23rd of October, a national holiday. Fidesz (in opposition) organised a massive but in theory peaceful protest, while a fairly small number of rioters waged a battle with the police. The rioters retreated toward the big protest. I don't know if via incompetence or malice but the police did not succeed in keeping the two groups separate. The rioters joined the big crowd which did not disperse on police orders, so the riot police went in, and chaos ensued.

After that protests stopped.

So I guess maybe the HK government is aiming for a similar script?

[garbon]

Maybe a mix of that /also recognition that their heavy handed response to the earlier protests only inflamed the issue?

[Grinning_Colossus]

What a wasted opportunity to broadcast drunken football analysis.

[Grinning_Colossus]

The Legislative Chamber:

[Valmy]

Well this just got almost revolutionary. Unfortunately, I don't think Hong Kong has enough fédérés to inflict a Valmy on Beijing counter-revolutionary forces. White terror will soon commence.

[saskganesh]

Mono has a Canadian passport. He can always make a better choice. But I think he will just go with the flow.

[mongers]

Mono has a Canadian passport. He can always make a better choice. But I think he will just go with the flow.

I think he should go with the outflow from the country.
The next few days could turn ugly:
Continued protests with some violence at the forefront,
Beijing deploys some PLA on streets around admin buidlings,
says its hand was forced, didn't want to but acted to restore order,
China/PLA presence consolidated, takes direct control of HK police,
HK assembly called, cowered, legislation passed to OK crackdown,
Purge begins of bureaucracy.
And civil society monitored, closed down and all leaders and many activists/demonstrators arrested.

[Syt]

I don't think mono has to worry about purges.

[crazy canuck]

Reports are that the Vancouver real estate market may be picking up again as people in HK hedge their bets

[Maladict]

Reports are that the Vancouver real estate market may be picking up again as people in HK hedge their bets

Sensible, sounds like it's a good time to leave.

The UK should have given it back to Taiwan instead.

[mongers]

I think I should change the thread title to something more useful, now that events are taking a v.serious turn; any suggestion?

How about 'Hong Kong democracy crisis' ?