Hong Kong authorities declared their ransacked halls of government “a big crime scene” Tuesday, as they began the process of investigating and repairing the damage caused by Monday’s protests. But for the city’s pro-democracy movement, the response to Monday’s unprecedented storming of the government headquarters looks a lot messier.
The actions of a splinter group of unarmed pro-democracy protesters in occupying the Legislative Council (LegCo) building — where they spray-painted anti-Chinese slogans, tore down politicians’ portraits, and even raised a British colonial-era flag — has divided the public and taken the protests into unchartered waters. Now, the popular movement, which has mounted the most direct challenge to Chinese rule in the city since the handover of the former British colony in 1997, must weather internal divisions and public criticism as it prepares for Beijing's brutal backlash.
The actions of a splinter group of unarmed pro-democracy protesters in occupying the Legislative Council (LegCo) building — where they spray-painted anti-Chinese slogans, tore down politicians’ portraits, and even raised a British colonial-era flag — has divided the public and taken the protests into unchartered waters. Now, the popular movement, which has mounted the most direct challenge to Chinese rule in the city since the handover of the former British colony in 1997, must weather internal divisions and public criticism as it prepares for Beijing's brutal backlash.
