Fishball revolution 魚蛋革命 aka Mongkok riot 旺角暴亂

[skylee]

The fishball revolution marked the start of the year of the monkey in Hong Kong.

Background -

Hong Kong Protesters Clash With Police In 'Fishball Revolution' - http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertolsen/2016/02/09/hong-kong-police-clash-with-protesters-in-fishball-revolution/#6ef01f03662c

Government condemns Mong Kok riot - http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1241215-20160209.htm?spTabChangeable=0

魚蛋革命 - https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%AD%9A%E8%9B%8B%E9%9D%A9%E5%91%BD

First we had the big protests against national education in 2012, then it was Occupy Central in 2014. And the political reform (universal suffrage for the Chief Executive election but with pre-screened candidates only) was voted down in mid-2015 with only 8 yes-votes. And in February 2016, serious clashes between the Police and some HK citizens over illegal hawking of street food like fishballs happened on the first night of the Chinese New Year Holidays, when people were supposed to be relaxing and enjoying themselves. One has to ask why these happened. I think it is always actions and reactions. Why have the Government and the people become intolerant of each other? Almost every policy and every action initiated by the Government has led to strong reaction and objection. 政通人和 has become a dream. Have most of the HK people gone mad? Or has something gone wrong in the leadership of the Hong Kong Government?

Views?

[889]

Why did this happen? It's a great puzzle to me.

First, the HK Police have traditionally kept out of hawker clearance operations. Indeed, the hawker clearance teams were originally set up by the old Urban Council precisely because the police did not or would not get involved in messy hawker clearances. So why were they there ready in riot gear last night?

Second, Hong Kong has long practiced considerable tolerance of all sorts of petty nuisances. Just stroll around Causeway Bay on a Sunday, or try to avoid the broadband vendors at every prime spot. So why, given this traditional tolerance, did the Government try to clear the CNY vendors out of Mong Kok this year ?

Third, public order in Mong Kok is maintained through some sort of modus vivendi with the triads. Those vendors did not set up their stalls without payment. So why did the modus vivendi break down?

My gut feeling is that someone was spoiling for a fight last night, and got one. But just who, and why, I don't know.

[skylee]

Indeed. Many people are already asking why the Government tried to clear illegal street hawkers on the first day of the Chinese new year when traditionally they were tolerated, and why the Police were sent there.

This article was written in 2014.

紅螞蟻鬥黑螞蟻，誰在笑？

https://thestandnews.com/politics/%E7%B4%85%E8%9E%9E%E8%9F%BB%E9%AC%A5%E9%BB%91%E8%9E%9E%E8%9F%BB-%E8%AA%B0%E5%9C%A8%E7%AC%91/

[889]

This YouTube video puts you right in the action:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxhB-a640_U

 

But it does nothing to resolve my puzzlement; it just adds to it.

 

And perhaps I've seen too many movies, but I've always had the impression that Hong Kong had a well-trained, well-equipped and well-disciplined riot squad, the Police Tactical Unit. But last night didn't seem to demonstrate at all good training, equipment or discipline, especially the use of firearms.

[skylee]

In a recent HK film 十年 (Ten Years) which consists five stories, one of them (called 浮瓜) is about a staged assassination of two councillors to frighten the general public of the chaotic situation that the society is in and to push them to accept the implementation of national security laws in HK.

Some people have already observed how poorly prepared the Police was last night, and how similar it was to the plot of the story of 浮瓜.

[dwq]

I am from HK and I can only say I'm 百感交集。But to answer your questions:

Why the police was involved: hawker clearance team was blocked by protesters from approaching the hawkers and the team called the police.

Poor use of firearms: the policeman who fired shots was only a traffic police, not riot squad. Still it is poor discipline, I think.

[li3wei1]

In the video, the crowd seems very strange. Individuals don't appear to have any urgency, they are almost milling around. They wander over to a pile of bricks, pick up one, head over towards the police, throw it, wander back. They don't seem especially angry. While I can't understand the Cantonese shouting, there doesn't appear to be any leadership, direction, 'ringleading', though I imagine there probably is. Somebody put those piles of bricks there.

[gato]

A timeline of the events (excerpt below). Some not happy with the current political situation organized the riot through social media.

The Communist used to use the same tactic. They organize riots in Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s. When the KMT government cracked down, sometimes shooting the rioters, the Communists got even more support.

https://theinitium.com/article/20160210-hongkong-MKPolice-02/

2月8日中午12時30分：本土民主前線在社交網絡上號召支持者晚上9時到砵蘭街聲援小販。

．2月8日晚上9時40分，香港獨立媒體報導，有食環署職員阻止小販在砵蘭街開檔，之後食環署職員與各團體聲援小販的人士發生衝突。

．2月8日晚上10時，香港電台報導，警方收到食環署要求協助。一小時後，即晚上11時，本土民主前線再發帖，指食環署職員退至彌敦道，現場出現少量警察，小販已繼續開業。

．2月8日晚上11點10分，根據香港01報導，本土民主前線成員在砵蘭街及山東街交界攔截車輛，阻止駕駛人士進入砵蘭街，警察推出流動指揮台，圖控制場面。警方的機動部隊、便衣探員開始向示威者揮動警棍，試圖驅散人群。

．2月8日晚上11時30分，根據香港電台及蘋果日報報導，在旺角朗豪坊對開的街頭夜市，大批警察到場驅趕在場人士。警方展示紅旗，警告人群「停止衝撃，否則使用武力」。示威者向警員投擲物品，警方多次施放胡椒噴霧和揮動警棍，有示威者受傷。混亂之中，有小販的炭爐翻側，一度冒煙，市民撲救。

[boctulus]

 

The Communist used to use the same tactic. They organize riots in Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s. When the KMT government cracked down, sometimes shooting the rioters, the Communists got even more support.

 

Agree many disturbs are 'maked' to crack down governments  [in Argentina is a very common practice of Peron's political party]