Hong Kong activist: Democratic world has been weakened by riot at US Capitol

Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong are speaking out against the violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, with one person calling it “a subversion of the will of the people by violence.”

Lee Cheuk-yan, who organizes an annual vigil to remember the Tiananmen Square protests, said it was upsetting to see the Capitol attacked and watch efforts by President Trump and his supporters to invalidate election results, ABC reported.

“It’s very sad for us in Hong Kong to see mobs attacking Capitol Hill and trying to overthrow the election results. We in Hong Kong are fighting for a democracy in which everyone has a right to vote,” said Lee. “But when we look at the U.S., it’s now a subversion of the will of the people by violence.”

“The most damaging part is that the democratic world has been weakened, and when that happens it strengthens the hand of authoritarian rulers from all over the world,” Lee said, adding that the U.S. has become a “laughingstock.” 

Leslie Chan, a Hong Kong district councilor, noted, however, that “at least in the U.S., their elections are fair.”

“In Hong Kong, elections are canceled,” he said, according to ABC News.

Hong Kong has postponed its elections for the city legislative body for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Hong Kong residents are no strangers to anti-government protests and violence. In July of last year, protesters broke into the Legislative Council in Hong Kong and vandalized the chamber and offices.

A pro-Beijing lawmaker on Thursday claimed the U.S. was hypocritical for not condemning the attacks on the Hong Kong legislature but condemning the attacks at the U.S. Capitol.

“Our police were accused of brutality, but their police have used much more force. They’ve already killed one person,” said Regia Ip, a former Hong Kong secretary for security, the network reported. “So I think this is a clear example of how we all live in glass houses, don’t throw stones. They lived in a glass house and they kept throwing stones at ours.”

Pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol after the president during a rally repeated unproven claims that the election was stolen from him. 

Wednesday’s events resulted in the deaths of four people and 52 arrests.

Congress certified the Electoral College votes once the Capitol was secured and cemented President-elect Joe Biden’s win early Thursday.