On Jan 27, Alistair Carmichael, a legislator and the co-chairman of the recently inaugurated All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong, tabled a motion in the United Kingdom’s House of Commons. It claims that “police brutality” demonstrates that, in its handling of civil disorder, the Hong Kong Police Force is failing to observe international standards, and expresses alarm that the “failure of the international community to condemn these breaches by the Hong Kong police would set a dangerous precedent”. Carmichael persuaded 21 other lawmakers to sign his motion, which calls on the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, to raise their concerns with the United Nations commissioner for human rights.
Not surprisingly, Carmichael has close links with Hong Kong Watch, the sinister London-based grouping which devotes itself to maligning the Hong Kong government and its police force. Indeed, its chairman, Benedict Rogers, was exposed just last month as a fantasist by the UK Foreign Office, for having levelled wild allegations over the arrest of a protester outside its consulate general in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, Carmichael, like many others, has been hoodwinked by Rogers, who has now, as a reward, appointed him Hong Kong Watch patron.
Hong Kong Watch, of course, is not alone in peddling untruths about the protests, and there is a global campaign underway to undermine China, by misrepresenting the situation in Hong Kong. On Jan 29, the serially untrustworthy Amnesty International accused the police of “unnecessary and excessive use of force”, claiming they had “misused” pepper spray and tear gas, and made “dangerous use” of rubber bullets and beanbag rounds. In the United States, moreover, on Jan 8, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, led by the fanatical China-bashers Senator Marco Rubio and Representative James P. McGovern, accused the police force of using “excessive force”, and violating international standards.
It is clear, therefore, that objective observers continue to give the police force the recognition it deserves, and are not buying into false narratives
What unites these various organizations is their disregard of the truth, their whitewashing of mob violence, and their addiction to fake news. For them, the end justifies the means, and if, by disparaging the forces of law and order in Hong Kong, they can damage Beijing, then any skulduggery will have been worthwhile. Instead, therefore, of applauding the valiant efforts of the police in combating the arsonists, bomb makers and terrorists who have declared war on society, they have chosen, for political reasons, to traduce them on trumped-up charges, which cannot bear scrutiny.
In over seven months of violent rioting, the police have shown great restraint and huge professionalism. Whereas, for example, multiple deaths have occurred in the recent riots in Chile, France and Iraq, no rioters have been killed here by the police. As fair-minded observers acknowledge, this speaks volumes for their professionalism in handling crazed mobs bent on violence and destruction. However, not everyone is oblivious to their achievements.
In its 2019 report, the World Economic Forum (WEF), the independent international organization which measures global competitiveness, studied 141 countries and regions and their systems. One of the indicators used is the “Reliability of Police Services”, and the various jurisdictions were marked from 1-7. Whereas the Hong Kong Police Force had been ranked as 8th in 2017-18, with a score of 6.3, and 6th in 2018, with a score of 6.3, for 2019 it was again ranked at 6th, but this time with a score of 6.4, its highest in recent times. By contrast, the US was ranked 26th, with a score of 5.7, while the UK, with a score of 5.2, came 37th.
Since 2009, the prestigious Fraser Institute, which is Canada’s top think tank for independent public policy research, has published its annual Human Freedom Index (HFI). The HFI uses 76 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom to present a broad measure of human freedom in 12 areas, of which one indicator is “Reliability of Police”. In the HFI 2019, Hong Kong, out of the 162 countries and regions surveyed, is ranked 6th, for the reliability of its police force, with a score of 8.9, in a range of 0-10, up from 8th in 2018, and 15th in 2017. By contrast, the UK, with a score of 8.3, ranked 18th, while the US, with a score of 8.2, ranked joint 20th.
Moreover, the Legatum Institute (LI), the London-based public policy think tank which aims to help people lead better lives, has also cut through the lies. Every year, it benchmarks 167 countries and regions, to assess global wealth and well-being. One of its indicators is “Safety and Security”, which covers violent crime, property crime, politically related terror and violence, terrorism and war and civil conflicts. In 2019, LI ranked Hong Kong as 4th, for safety and security, for the second year running, and its police force, quite clearly, can take great pride in this. By contrast, the UK came in 16th, with the US a distant 58th.
It is clear, therefore, that objective observers continue to give the police force the recognition it deserves, and are not buying into false narratives. Indeed, although there has been a lull in open street violence, because of COVID-19, the extremists have simply switched to alternative tactics. They have, for example, recently placed explosive devices at various locations, including the Shenzhen Bay Control Point, and even blown up public lavatories in Cheung Sha Wan and Jordan. One of two explosive devices went off at Lo Wu MTR station, and bomb hoaxes on the MTR are an almost daily occurrence.
It is, of course, the police force which has to handle all these threats and keep Hong Kong safe, often at great personal danger to its officers. Instead, therefore, of trying to weaken their morale, Carmichael, Rubio and their cronies should be complimenting them for protecting the community from naked terrorism. In this, foreign diplomats based in Hong Kong must help to get the truth out.
Unfortunately, not much can be expected of the US consul general, Hanscom Smith. Last August, his political counselor, Julie Eadeh, was discovered consorting in a hotel lobby with protest leaders linked to the independence movement. When her cover was blown, the US State Department, instead of apologizing and recalling Eadeh, indignantly claimed that such conduct was normal, and even sought to paint her as a victim. Even if, moreover, Smith was to provide his boss, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with a truthful account of the ongoing terrorist insurgency, Pompeo, whose twisted political agenda is legendary, would simply disregard it.
Rather more, however, is to be expected of the UK consul general, Andrew Heyn, who reports to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Whereas Raab’s predecessor, Jeremy Hunt, apparently misled by Hong Kong Watch, repeatedly whitewashed violent protesters and denigrated the police force, this changed once Raab succeeded him on July 24. In his recent Hong Kong report, Raab frankly acknowledged that “protesters have vandalized property and tried to shut down banks, metro stations and the airport”, that “petrol bombs have been thrown at police stations and other targets”, and emphasized this “cannot be condoned”. It may well be that Heyn, shocked at the repeated misrepresenting of the situation by anti-China elements, took it upon himself to set the record straight. If so, he will hopefully make his voice heard again, and tell Raab that Carmichael’s motion is pure mischief-making, and that the police force deserves to be commended for its sustained bravery and unflinching commitment to Hong Kong.
The author is a senior counsel, law professor and criminal justice analyst, and was previously the director of public prosecutions, HKSAR government.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
