Callous condoning of HK violence

Having been forced to temporarily shut down the airport on Monday after thousands of demonstrators swarmed the main terminal building, the Hong Kong airport authority canceled most departures on Tuesday due to a second day of protests. The disruption at the airport, a key economic artery of the international financial hub, has helped people see the true nature of their campaign.

For all the well-worded narratives, the demonstrators are trying to hold Hong Kong's prosperity and the well-being of its residents to political ransom. They have been targeting key thoroughfares, the mass transit rail system, the airport and commercial areas with the intention of disrupting economic activities. Weeks of violence have had an adverse impact on retail sales and inbound tourism, with both local consumer sentiment and visitor arrivals sagging. Some employees in the tourism sector have been reportedly forced to take unpaid leave, while business leaders have warned of potentially massive layoffs in the hospitality industry.

Worse, the violent acts of radical demonstrators have damaged Hong Kong's reputation as one of the safest cities in the world. Any further deterioration in the situation could trigger an exodus of both capital and talents, pushing the city down a path of no return, as Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the special administrative region, warned on Tuesday.