Most horrific night with the craziest rioters

With the protracted social unrest seemingly entering its final stage, I went through the longest night since mid-June when a group of the most violent radicals, who were in their highest morale, launched the fiercest attacks in the heart of Hong Kong.

In nearly 20 hours from Sunday through Monday, hundreds of masked, black-clad radicals turned the vicinity of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University — their last stronghold on campuses which had been occupied for days — into a totally lawless land.

In at least five locations near the university, they fought fierce pitched battles with police.

Compared with the protests that erupted in the past five months and often focused on a specific area and ending before midnight, obviously, the clashes around PolyU lasted much longer and were more extensive, significantly aggravating the destruction caused.

On Nov 12, clashes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong — another campus occupied by rioters for almost the whole of last week — continued for just several hours and were mostly concentrated on a bridge near one of the university’s entrances.

After repeated training and practice, the rioters’ skill in using lethal weapons, especially gasoline bombs, has reached a new height.

Previously, it was common to see them failing to set targets ablaze with firebombs, or totally missing their targets. On Sunday night, almost every shot was right on target, with the most “successful” one creating a huge fireball in the air.

More horrifying is that the core rioters, with nearly 200 of them always on the front line of clashes, were also the most radical group among the protesters and were at fever pitch throughout the campaign.

After setting an armored police vehicle ablaze on a flyover, the crowd burst into a huge round of applause and cheers. They even rushed toward the next armored police vehicle and attacked it at close range with firebombs, disregarding the risk of causing explosions and getting themselves burned.

That night, none of the protesters chanted slogans with their five demands — their cardinal pursuit since the start of the unrest. For me, it means they have totally lost the goal and merely vented hatred at the police.

In the wee hours of Monday, a small group of them had intended to abandon their PolyU stronghold. But their suggestion was thwarted by strong objections and harsh criticisms from the majority.

What’s more, some of them even tried to block police officers from arresting protesters or taking those injured for medical treatment.

From what I saw, they have been blinded by hatred. Their fierce attacks on police officers have prompted strong sentiment among the police to take action against the radicals. In their eyes, there are only faults on the other side that can be easily magnified by speculation and misunderstanding.

To help Hong Kong move forward and break out of the impasse, I hope all residents can join hands to bring the violence to an end, cast hatred aside and seek reconciliation.