Published 04:00 IST, November 5th 2019
China slams 'terroristic' Hong Kong attack on state media office
China slams 'terroristic' Hong Kong attack on a state media office of Xinhua News Agency. The Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau was vandalized on Saturday.
- World News
- 2 min read
Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily has called for a "tougher line" on democracy protesters over their recent attack on Xinhua news agency's Hong Kong office. In a Facebook post on November 4, the publication wrote that vandalizing a news agency is as terroristic as challenging the bottom line of civilization. Hong Kong residents have repeatedly instigated illegal demonstrations and encouraged mobs to suppress dissidents creating “black terror” to coerce the people of Hong Kong, spreading lies, the post added. The post further asked the journalists to be brave enough to speak out the truth, and all residents to stand up against the violence. People's Daily said violence and threats will never weaken the just voices that call for an order. Neither will beating of citizens who hold different political views distort the voices of the patriotic people who love Hong Kong.
"Is attacking journalists and citizens who they believe hold different political views as democratic as they claim? The more Hong Kong tolerates this kind of behavior, the more violent the masked will be. This attack on Xinhua was an intentional law-violating behavior that tramples freedom of speech and challenges the bottom line of civilization and social order, and the government must punish them according to law. Hong Kong people from all walks of life should say “no” to the malicious attack. This is the only way they can save and guard Hong Kong," the post read.
Xinhua called the attack "barbaric"
According to the reports, the riots broke on Saturday afternoon, in which several protesters wrote the inappropriate language on the walls of the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau office, destroyed its security facilities, also damaged the entrance gate and the windows of the building. Many of the demonstrators dropped firebombs and paint bombs in the lobby. Xinhua termed them as the ‘barbaric thugs’ roaming around the streets and causing distress. One of the spokespeople of Xinhua in a Facebook post stated, “The practice of the black rioters once again shows that ‘stopping the violence and restoring order’ is Hong Kong’s most important and urgent task at present.”
Updated 04:00 IST, November 5th 2019