I was afraid something like this would happen. When my wife and I, together with some friends from church, were marching, together with hundreds of thousands of people, peacefully on July 1, we heard that some people were trying to break into the Legislative Council Building.
When we reached home, we saw on TV that more than a hundred people broke into the building. Fortunately, it appeared that no one was seriously hurt in the process. But what purpose does it serve? Except that it gave the establishment another excuse to condemn the opposition, justify the use of force against the people, and dismiss the legitimate demands of the hundreds of thousands who marched peacefully.
I can see how the intransigence of the government may cause some people to feel extremely frustrated, that there is no way out. But breaking glasses, destroying things, defacing walls and furnishings do not achieve any real purpose. While the frustration is understandable, it does not justify the violence.
Some police are violent, but most are just doing their job. Do not make enemies of all the police. We should trust and respect our courts in dealing with the consequences of the confrontations. Some legislators are dishonest, some support the bad law against our interest. Let us vote them out of office when there is a chance. Let us not make life even more difficult for those pan-democrat legislators.
We have to take the moral high ground. There is no other choice. Violence is not the solution.
On the other hand, if the government is to retain any semblance of legitimacy, it should respond appropriately to the legitimate concerns of such a large number of its citizens. Intransigence is not effective governance.
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