Radical protesters seized two men at Hong Kong International Airport Tuesday night and witnesses said they were beaten and tied up. One was a traveler and the other was a reporter from the Chinese mainland. In both cases, paramedics had to struggle to extract them from the violent crowd.

Hong Kong police have arrested five people for offenses including unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapons, assaulting police officers and breaching of peace. Two police officers were injured and sent to North Lantau Hospital.

The first violent incident occurred at around 19:00 as a large group of demonstrators surrounded a male passenger in the airport departure hall, suspecting him of being a police officer from the Chinese mainland as they found his passport and searched his name online.

Without confirming his identity and his reason for coming to Hong Kong, the protesters bound his hands with ropes, poured water on his head, beat and kicked him, totally ignoring his explanation. He was eventually knocked out after hours of brutal attacks. Several protesters covered nearby cameras with umbrellas to hide their actions.

According to Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao, the traveler had explained to the protesters he was from Shenzhen and came to the airport to see off his two friends who are flying to the U.S.

After nearly four hours of attack, dozens of police arrived at the scene, escorting the men and emergency workers out, but they were surrounded by protesters, preventing them from leaving. The police officers at the scene attempted to clear a path, but protesters continued their siege, beaming laser pointers at police officers, throwing luggage trolleys and other objects to prevent them from leaving.

Another attack

Another violent incident, which has aroused widespread condemnation and outrage on social media, involved reporter Fu Guohao from Chinese mainland media outlet Global Times, who was brutally assaulted and seriously injured by the protesters at the airport shortly after the first man.

The editor-in-chief of Global Times, Hu Xijin, later confirmed the news on Weibo and said that they had contacted the Hong Kong police immediately to rescue him.

According to witnesses, Fu was wearing a bright yellow vest with a "Press" label, and carrying out his reporting duties, when he was beaten and tied up by radical protesters.

The rioters pinned him to the ground, seized his belongings and an "I love Hong Kong Police" T-shirt from him, as others tried to step in and stop the violence. Fu was seen rolling on the ground with bruises on his body and his head bleeding. 

Facing the radical protesters' savage acts, Fu said, "I support Hong Kong police, you can beat me now." His words have received high praise and support of netizens who have applauded him for being a real man of iron. 

Early Wednesday morning, paramedics arrived at the airport but had little access to Fu as protesters surrounded the area and tried to obstruct ambulance staff from entering to help. Fu was finally transferred to a hospital.

He has been discharged from hospital. In interviews with reporters, he said he is lucky to have not suffered fatal injuries, and he loves Hong Kong anyway.

"No matter what identities of the travelers are, the rioters' violent behavior, venting anger and assaulting passersby, is almost crazy and out of mind. The violent acts are totally unacceptable," Li Xiaobing, associate professor at Nankai University's School of Law and executive director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao law research center told reporters.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Wednesday responded with "severe condemnation" after a large number of protesters paralyzed airport operation since Tuesday afternoon. 

Those acts "are outrageous and have overstepped the bottom line of a civilized society," the HKSAR government spokesman said. "The police will take relentless enforcement action to bring the persons involved to justice."

Posts labeling the "rioters" as "terrorists" and wishing the reporter good health have surged online. People's Daily, a state media outlet, also posted that the violent acts are an extreme violation of human rights. People in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland should keep the faith that "the rioters must pay a price for their terror crimes made today."

Zhi Zhenfeng, associate researcher at the Institute of Law under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes the airport authorities failed to take effective measures against the rioters.

"They can turn off air conditioning, cut off water and power, but they didn't. Isn't this indirect support for the rioters?" asked Zhi. "Those in Hong Kong who want to uphold the rule of law must stand up and make their voices heard, otherwise they will bear the historical responsibility for the fall of Hong Kong."