Violent Leadership

The Siege of PolyU gave me a closer look of the leadership of the violent protests. Starting from the first day of the siege on Monday, Nov 11 to Saturday, Nov 16, I went back to campus every day to have a look at the campus, until the conflagration starting Saturday evening.  I checked out the barricades,  the damage, and the organization.  I listened to the conversations among the protesters, in the chatrooms, and the pronouncements.  I observed the weapons, tactics and justifications.  

The level of violence escalated day by day.  Bows and arrows were used more and more.  More and more powerful means were adopted to throw petrol bombs.  The violence grew more and more lethal.  Violence is like a drug.  You depend on more and more of it - until it kills you.  You are not aware of the destructive effects on you when you are in the middle of it - until it is too late.  But it is much more visible to people who observe form the outside. 

The damages to the campus intensified as the days go by.  More and more graffiti.  More and more broken glasses.  More and more classrooms and offices broken into.  More and more tools, food, supplies, materials, chemicals stolen.  Bit by bit they are killing the university.  It is not just the hardware.  Our students are hurt, physically, mentally and spiritually.  Our staff are discouraged.  The longer we have to stay away, the more the spirit, the relationship, the community dies.  People look for alternatives.  One day, the university is no more.  Whether intentionally or not, they are killing our university.  

Order deteriorated as the days go by.  Canteens and toilets got messy.  Many people do not seem to know that was going on.  Usually some people on the front line decided to do something, and expected the rest to follow and provide support - even when the rest did not have a chance to participate in the decision making, and may not agree with the new direction or tactic.  Many feel pressured to support more and more violent tactics because they did not wish to be considered to have abandoned those on the frontline.  It is not just those who are inside the siege who feel pressured to follow.  Many on the outside do not agree with the violence, yet feel pressured to not abandon those on the front line.  Some may consider this kidnapping of the cause. 

It is clearer and clearer that violence in this protest movement is not justified.  It leads to nothing but senseless destruction, gives the protest a bad name, alienates people who might have been neutral or even moderately supportive, and gives the establishment an excuse to delay or even cancel the imminent elections.  

Peaceful and lawful means may be slower.  In the long one it takes more determination but may be much more powerful and long-lasting.