Another 48 hours of insanity and injustice

Is anything sacred anymore in Hong Kong?

Is this the kind of crowd that looks to you 

like they need to be dispersed using tear gas?

After yet another tear-gas filled Sunday (which saw police over-reaction to the kind of altercation that would be described as "handbags" level by certain Brits, including football commentators that I learnt this slang from, result in 10 hours of unrest), I was hoping that the next day would pass peacefully.  Not counting some shenanigans at the daily police press conference, I was thinking I had got my wish until night fell; after which, in one of those turn of events that really sounds utterly ridiculous, the police unleashed more tear gas in Tuen Mun against a crowd protesting a suspected tear gas test in the area.

At around the same time as I found out about the previous evening's events in Tuen Mun this morning, I also learnt of news that put me in a cheerier mood.  It may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things but it's still quite lovely to learn of a British university having stripped the odious Junius Ho of an honorary degree on the grounds that he no longer can be viewed as a positive role model.  This all the more so in view of this action appearing to be a big deal to his henchmen along with the man himself.  

Also something that I'd gladly look upon as a "win" for the pro-democracy camp is the High Court having amended an interim junction in such a way as to limit the scope of a police "doxxing" order that had caused significant consternation when it was announced last week.  (Of course, the ideal would be if the police were to behave in a professional manner that would not make people want to "doxx" them -- i.e., not act like judge and jury as well as arresting officer, and in ways that make the public have some sympathy for them -- but, well, that's really would be asking for the moon, sun and stars these days, right?)   

But in the afternoon came the news of the kind of decision that most rational people can't help but think is going to inflame matters as well as is just plain wrong and stupid: namely, the banning of Joshua Wong from standing in the upcoming District Council election.  (And no, it is no consolation at all that he is the only candidate disqualified from taking part in the contests.)  

 

The letter notifying him of this decision doesn't state a reason for this but it really doesn't take much to see that it's the result of political screening.  Also worth noting is that the powers that be really don't (want to) differentiate between calls for self-determination and independence.  Although not entirely unexpected, it's still a major indictment of the current system that Joshua Wong is effectively barred for contesting for even a District Council seat basically for being Joshua Wong: a young man who has become Hong Kong's pro-democracy poster child.