Protests in Hong Kong - 'social' media block accounts

by Lars Moerking (Unsere Zeit) 23.8.19

So it wasn't a million who took to the streets in Hong Kong.  On the 'March of Millions' last Saturday, however, hundreds of thousands are reported to have gathered according to, among others, the South China Morning Post.  

A new feature this weekend was that there were also mass demonstrations by supporters of the regime.  In the Tamar Park the demonstrators demanded an end to the violent protests.  According to the organisers there were 500,000; the English speaking media gave no figures, in fact most did not report it at all.

Twitter entered the conflict with a 'precautionary' blocking of 200,000 user accounts.  The US led company, according to its own explanation, took action against users who had Chinese state support to discredit the demonstrators against the Hong Kong government.  Facebook too let it be known that they had blocked accounts, which included ones which showed violent actions by the demonstrators.

As 'German Foreign Policy' reported last week, the US government is also supporting the 'Anti Peking protests'.  An instrumental organisation of US foreign policy, the state financed National Endowment for Democracy,  handed over almost half a million dollars in the year 2018 alone to opposition organisations in Hong Kong.  

In addition Hong Kong billionaire Jimmy Lai, who has furnished the opposition with large sums for years, and systematically assisted them with his media company Next Digital, was received in July in Washington by US Vice President Mike Pence and foreign secretary Mike Pompeo.  US president Trump also warned China against the use of force in Hong Kong.  Otherwise agreement in the trade war he is conducting against China will be 'very difficult'.

Anti-government protesters August 2019