Jul 5, 2019 05:37 AM
(This post was last modified: Jul 5, 2019 05:39 AM by C C.)
In Hong Kong, colonial flag still a symbol of prized values
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/eur...story.html
EXCERPT: . . . On a day supposed to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the “motherland,” [...] They smashed glass windows, sprayed rude graffiti and defaced Hong Kong’s official emblem with black paint. But of all the dramatic photos showing hundreds of young protesters storming the city’s legislative building this week, one image makes for particularly uncomfortable viewing in Beijing: The British colonial flag draped aloft a podium in the assembly’s chamber.
[...] Why are some protesters — many of them millennials — harking back to a bygone colonial era, two decades after Britain handed the city over to China as a semi-autonomous territory?
“Does it really mean that people seriously want colonial rule again? No — but I don’t think there’s any dispute among protesters that British rule was better than what we’ve got after the handover, especially in recent years,” said Lam Yin Pong, a Hong Kong journalist. “There might be some element of a rose-tinted lens. Perhaps some people are fantasizing about the ‘good old days,’” he added. “But what’s clear is that under colonial rule there was never a clear feeling of freedoms being gradually eroded, of a series of government actions completely against our interests.”
[...] But Hong Kong never enjoyed democracy under 155 years of British rule either. Governors at the time were appointed in London, and lawmakers were not directly elected to the Legislative Council until 1991. Most of parliament’s seats were either appointed or chosen by powerful professional groups. The city’s last British governor, Chris Patten, managed to push through democratic reforms only in the last years before his 1997 departure.
Even so, Britain was — and still is — widely seen in Hong Kong as a beacon of Western-style civil liberties and the rule of law, leaving a legacy of independent courts, a well-oiled civil service and institutions like an anti-corruption watchdog. The colonial years saw steady economic growth, and its free market policies meant the city flourished as one of the world’s leading business hubs.
“I miss the British-Hong Kong government before 1997. The British helped us build a lot of things: separation of powers, our rule of law, our entire social system,” said Alexandra Wong, 63, a protester who’s often seen raising the Union Jack at demonstrations and carried one into the legislative building on Monday night. “What I can do is to hopefully encourage young people to continue to persist” in fighting for their rights, she said.
[...] Many in the city see police violence against protesters in recent weeks as marking a new low for a government seen to be oblivious to residents’ rights. “At least one million people have taken to the streets but they keep refusing to listen,” Lam said. “Never mind the British — any rational, civilized government would have backed off.”
Some say the protesters’ raising of the colonial-era and Union flags was a deliberate message for the world — especially Britain — to do more to uphold the democratic values they symbolize. Patten recently called for Britain to fulfil its “duty to help Hong Kong out of this dark moment.” (MORE - details)
Marine Veteran Barrels Into Left Wing Activists To Save Burning American Flag
https://dailycaller.com/2019/07/04/veter...ite-house/
EXCERPT: A Marine veteran snatched a burning American flag from protesters Thursday [...] He whipped it away from the protesters and attempted to put out the fire. He continued to yell back at the protesters while holding onto the scorched flag. Someone asked the man if he was a veteran, and he pointed to the USMC tattoo on his shoulder, responding simply, “Yes! Semper fi.”
The group of protesters, all wearing Revolutionary Communist Party shirts that read “BA Speaks: Revolution, Nothing Less,” linked arms and began chanting, “America was never great.” (MORE)
RELATED: Bob Avakian
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/eur...story.html
EXCERPT: . . . On a day supposed to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the “motherland,” [...] They smashed glass windows, sprayed rude graffiti and defaced Hong Kong’s official emblem with black paint. But of all the dramatic photos showing hundreds of young protesters storming the city’s legislative building this week, one image makes for particularly uncomfortable viewing in Beijing: The British colonial flag draped aloft a podium in the assembly’s chamber.
[...] Why are some protesters — many of them millennials — harking back to a bygone colonial era, two decades after Britain handed the city over to China as a semi-autonomous territory?
“Does it really mean that people seriously want colonial rule again? No — but I don’t think there’s any dispute among protesters that British rule was better than what we’ve got after the handover, especially in recent years,” said Lam Yin Pong, a Hong Kong journalist. “There might be some element of a rose-tinted lens. Perhaps some people are fantasizing about the ‘good old days,’” he added. “But what’s clear is that under colonial rule there was never a clear feeling of freedoms being gradually eroded, of a series of government actions completely against our interests.”
[...] But Hong Kong never enjoyed democracy under 155 years of British rule either. Governors at the time were appointed in London, and lawmakers were not directly elected to the Legislative Council until 1991. Most of parliament’s seats were either appointed or chosen by powerful professional groups. The city’s last British governor, Chris Patten, managed to push through democratic reforms only in the last years before his 1997 departure.
Even so, Britain was — and still is — widely seen in Hong Kong as a beacon of Western-style civil liberties and the rule of law, leaving a legacy of independent courts, a well-oiled civil service and institutions like an anti-corruption watchdog. The colonial years saw steady economic growth, and its free market policies meant the city flourished as one of the world’s leading business hubs.
“I miss the British-Hong Kong government before 1997. The British helped us build a lot of things: separation of powers, our rule of law, our entire social system,” said Alexandra Wong, 63, a protester who’s often seen raising the Union Jack at demonstrations and carried one into the legislative building on Monday night. “What I can do is to hopefully encourage young people to continue to persist” in fighting for their rights, she said.
[...] Many in the city see police violence against protesters in recent weeks as marking a new low for a government seen to be oblivious to residents’ rights. “At least one million people have taken to the streets but they keep refusing to listen,” Lam said. “Never mind the British — any rational, civilized government would have backed off.”
Some say the protesters’ raising of the colonial-era and Union flags was a deliberate message for the world — especially Britain — to do more to uphold the democratic values they symbolize. Patten recently called for Britain to fulfil its “duty to help Hong Kong out of this dark moment.” (MORE - details)
Marine Veteran Barrels Into Left Wing Activists To Save Burning American Flag
https://dailycaller.com/2019/07/04/veter...ite-house/
EXCERPT: A Marine veteran snatched a burning American flag from protesters Thursday [...] He whipped it away from the protesters and attempted to put out the fire. He continued to yell back at the protesters while holding onto the scorched flag. Someone asked the man if he was a veteran, and he pointed to the USMC tattoo on his shoulder, responding simply, “Yes! Semper fi.”
The group of protesters, all wearing Revolutionary Communist Party shirts that read “BA Speaks: Revolution, Nothing Less,” linked arms and began chanting, “America was never great.” (MORE)
RELATED: Bob Avakian
