Violent young protesters aren’t fighting a noble cause, they will only do lasting damage to themselves and Hong Kong
- Influential members of the community have led young people to believe that violence is justified in pursuit of a noble cause. But such action may well ruin the lives of the protesters and forever discredit the democracy movement in the eyes of Beijing
There is an old Chinese adage, “Who killed your horse but the bystanders?” It comes from a story where a good horse dies of exhaustion after bystanders cheer it on to run ever faster. I fear this is what a large swathe of our community is doing to the violent youngsters wreaking havoc in Hong Kong now.
The violence shows no sign of abating because a large number of highly educated and respected adults, including senior members of the legal profession and university vice-chancellors, give them reason to believe that violence, though undesirable, is justified if used to pursue a noble cause.
This halo of glory is spurring thousands of students, some as young as 12 , to commit heinous crimes. Many have been arrested and, if charged and convicted, would struggle to fit in to mainstream society in the future.
I will give credit to the protesters, whose relentless clamouring did eventually pressure Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to abandon the unpopular extradition bill.
People who cheer on the violent young protesters should realise that this will not only destroy their future, but make what was originally a lofty goal into one even more distant and out of reach.
