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.