Opinion | The violence won’t end if Hongkongers would prefer to take their chances with the mob rather than side with Carrie Lam

Many people understand the rage of the protesters, even if they don’t support the violence. Such empathy is further coloured by mistrust of the Carrie Lam administration. The government must take positive action to realign public opinion

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An anti-government protester wears a mask during a demonstration in Wong Tai Sin district on October 4. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:00am, 9 Oct 2019Updated: 9:08am, 9 Oct 2019

On Saturday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Yuet-ngor, flanked by 14 wooden-faced officials, condemned the violence and destruction during what she described as a “very dark night”. In an episode of savage protest the night before, mobs had smashed, clubbed and burned their way across the city. The violence occurred after the government brought emergency regulations into effect in order to ban face masks.

Violence is now a constant in the Hong Kong protests. Mass demonstrations, once peaceful, used to feature protesters apologising when things got out of hand. Such quaint acts of contrition are now a thing of the past.

In her address to the people on Saturday, Lam urged Hongkongers to “condemn violence together and resolutely disassociate with rioters”. Yet public tolerance for the violence and destruction seems to persist. The police are heckled by bystanders as they arrest protesters and groups organise themselves to protect them.

Lam’s entreaty to the people of Hong Kong to condemn their fellow citizens puts them on the horns of a dilemma. Few openly condone violent protest, but many have empathy for the fundamental plight of the protesters. And few trust that the government will act in the interests of the people.

Even for those who wish to denounce the violence, condemnation of riot action would require that they appear to side with the government. It is a prospect few seem ready to stomach.

This dilemma arises in part because many people in Hong Kong understand the rage of the protesters, even if they don’t support the violence. They are also enraged. People understand when young protesters say they are rising against the hopelessness of their future. They understand these bleak prospects because of their own lived reality.