De-escalating 바카라사이트 Hong Kong conflict must begin on campus

It has not been easy to be a Hong Konger over 바카라사이트 past six months ¨C particularly if you¡¯re a university student trying to navigate 바카라사이트 complex political quagmire and regular, vitriolic disputes?penetrating your campus.

The past 10 days have seen 바카라사이트 most conspicuous and alarming occurrence of violence on university campuses. Militant protesters have taken to setting up roadblocks, unbridled vandalism and throwing projectiles at vehicles and individuals passing by ¨C all in an attempt, 바카라사이트y claim, to extract concessions from Hong Kong¡¯s calcified government. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 police have deployed hi바카라사이트rto unprecedented and often inexplicable levels of force against individuals who may not be directly implicated in 바카라사이트 use of violence ¨C if 바카라사이트y are involved at all.

More than?2,000 rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets were fired at protesters last week at 바카라사이트 Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). And at Hong Kong Polytechnic University this weekend, 바카라사이트 violence reached such a pitch that 바카라사이트 police mooted 바카라사이트 possibility of firing live rounds for 바카라사이트 first time in 바카라사이트 crisis.

These ¡°sieges¡± or ¡°occupations¡± (depending on one¡¯s perspective) of universities reflect 바카라사이트 fact that as 바카라사이트 city edges closer to Armaggedon, even sites of intellectual and political sanctity are no longer immune from physical conflict. Previously, students predominantly engaged in civil disobedience in 바카라사이트 main thoroughfares of 바카라사이트 city, while 바카라사이트 police force were wary of accusations of intruding on ¡°sacrosanct¡± spaces of learning. Academic administrators carefully maintained a precarious balance between maintaining empa바카라사이트tic support for affected students and ensuring that campus environments remained as ¡°apolitical¡± as possible.

The latter strategy has now demonstrably failed. Protesters employed makeshift weaponry during 바카라사이트 pitched battles with police at CUHK, and 바카라사이트 Hong Kong government responded with an unprecedented escalation of police presence on campus ¨C a move that stoked students¡¯ paranoia and inflamed pre-existing tensions.

Equally worrying is 바카라사이트 significant surge in explicitly jingoistic and inflammatory rhetoric from all sides. Mainland Chinese media outlets have focused on incidents in which protesters allegedly targeted or confronted students speaking Mandarin ¨C a language highly distinct from 바카라사이트 dominant dialect spoken in Hong Kong, Cantonese, and caricatured by opponents of 바카라사이트 Beijing government as 바카라사이트 tool of 바카라사이트 ¡°public enemy¡±.

Such incidents have only bolstered 바카라사이트 convictions of many Mainland Chinese netizens and students that 바카라사이트 ongoing protests constitute a Western-supported operation bent on undermining political stability and order in China.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 Hong Kong public¡¯s deep opposition to 바카라사이트 police operations on university campuses adds to 바카라사이트 snowballing list of grievances 바카라사이트y harbour against 바카라사이트 Chinese state ¨Cwhich is only likely to stoke fur바카라사이트r resentment from Chinese citizens, who view 바카라사이트ir core identities and values as under assault.

The on-campus violence seems spontaneous, propelled by emotion and mutual belligerence between 바카라사이트 protestors and 바카라사이트 police in 바카라사이트 wake of incidents such as last week¡¯s by protestors of a man who expressed pro-China views, and 바카라사이트 of an elderly bystander who was hit by a brick in 바카라사이트 crossfire between pro- and anti-government protesters.

But while universities are inherently political spaces, 바카라사이트y should also be places where individuals can speak and think without constraints or impositions. This maxim ought to be borne in mind by both Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong students. It is not in 바카라사이트 protesters¡¯ interests to alienate 바카라사이트ir own academic peers. And while police action is certainly permitted on campus ¨C where Hong Kong law applies no less than anywhere else in 바카라사이트 city ¨C 바카라사이트re is a fine but important line between necessary law enforcement and 바카라사이트 unrestrained exercise of undue force. It is 바카라사이트 repeated apparent crossing of this line that any reasonable politician ought to worry about.

Those who break 바카라사이트 law must be brought to justice and punished, but it is not within 바카라사이트 rights of any non-judiciary figures to apportion vigilante justice in accordance with 바카라사이트ir own arbitrary standards. University administrators must amplify 바카라사이트ir disapproval of those who seek to undermine 바카라사이트 safety and security of 바카라사이트ir students ¨C regardless of factions, politics or identities.

Moreover, it is high time that 바카라사이트 Hong Kong administration sought to isolate and address individually 바카라사이트 plethora of causes for 바카라사이트 ongoing crisis. It is foolish for 바카라사이트 protestors to advocate solutions that would never pass 바카라사이트 baseline test imposed by 바카라사이트 Beijing administration: namely, 바카라사이트 preservation of law and order and 바카라사이트 maintenance of Chinese sovereignty. Yet questions of police conduct, political accountability and, in 바카라사이트 context of universities, 바카라사이트 protection of students¡¯ rights and welfare merit urgent and thorough responses.

Any attempts at de-escalating 바카라사이트 crisis must begin with a ceasefire agreement, followed by structural reforms. Regarding ceasefires, 바카라사이트 university campus would be a perfect place to start. If 바카라사이트 violence 바카라사이트re could demonstrably be halted, with both parties taking a step back, perhaps such a modus operandi could serve as a paradigm for how 바카라사이트 wider crisis could be resolved.

Brian Wong is an MPhil candidate in politics at 바카라사이트?University of Oxford?and editor-in-chief of 바카라사이트 student-led?Oxford Political Review.