Opinion | Hong Kong protesters must not become the monsters they are fighting and lose moral legitimacy

As someone who calls Guangzhou – the Cantonese-speaking mainland city neighbouring Hong Kong – home, I have for years sympathised with Hong Kong protesters’ pursuit of freedom and democracy, and shared their frustration with the authorities’ encroachment on political freedom in the territory. Over the past few weeks, however, I have grown increasingly concerned about the apparent radicalisation of the movement.

Last week, a video of young demonstrators jostling and swearing at an elderly man who arrived at the Hong Kong airport went viral. There were conflicting stories as to how the incident began, some of which pointed to how he reacted to a protest poster. Regardless of how we feel about his behaviour, it was disgraceful for a crowd to harass a lone elderly traveller.

Not long ago, a similar incident unfolded when students took issue with University of Hong Kong president Zhang Xiang, who issued a statement condemning violence and the vandalism of the Legislative Council building. The students put up insulting posters and besieged his residence at night, demanding that he retract his statement.

These scenes bear an eerie resemblance to the political turmoil of the Mao era, when youngsters tormented their elders into making confessions. Although there is a distinct difference in that the Red Guards were instigated by the rulers, there is nevertheless no justification for mistreating people with different opinions – not even if the demonstrators believe they are on the right side of history.

It is also disheartening to see the movement targeting train operations. Protesters have blocked train doors and held rush-hour commuters hostage, showing no consideration for people who might have jobs to do or schedules to keep.

When I saw Hong Kong netizens accusing TVB of biased reporting and putting pressure on advertising clients to abandon the broadcaster, it reminded me of the mainland internet vigilantes who forced French cosmetic giant Lancôme to cancel Canto-pop star Denise Ho’s concert. I couldn’t help thinking of what German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”