Editor's note: Dennis Etler holds a doctorate in anthropology from the University of California, Berkley. He conducted archaeological and anthropological research in China throughout the 1980s and 1990s and taught at the college and university level for over 35 years. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

After months of escalating violence, Hong Kong has invoked emergency powers outlawing the wearing of face masks by protesters. By concealing their identities the protesters feel they can act with impunity. No other nations faced with similar unrest allow this practice. It is hoped that the new regulation will dissuade protesters from their irresponsible actions and help quell the disturbances.

In supporting the masked marauders the boundless hypocrisy of the U.S. and the UK has once again been revealed. The protests in Hong Kong have devolved into sheer anarchy. The actions of the demonstrators, running rampant through the streets of Hong Kong, would never be tolerated in any Western country. Their use of lethal weapons to attack the police and face masks to conceal their identities is strictly forbidden in all Western countries and subject to criminal charges.

Yet, Western media, particularly in the U.S. and the UK, continue to support the protesters as heroic "freedom fighters" and "pro-democracy" advocates. When similar violent protests have erupted in the U.S., the culprits are often condemned as agents provocateurs employed by the authorities to discredit sincere non-violent opponents of government policies. But, when anarchy prevails in Hong Kong it is hailed as an example of resistance against China's governance, even though China has taken a hands-off approach to the disturbances, allowing the Hong Kong authorities to respond as they see fit.

But, in accusing China of violating "human rights" and by supporting the supposedly "pro-democracy" demonstrators in Hong Kong, Western governments and media have turned facts on their heads. These masked "demonstrators," clad in black and equipped with military gear, are rioters. They have subjected the residents of the city to weeks of unrestrained violence, endangering the life and limbs of both police and regular citizens. They have vandalized property and destroyed public utilities, using petrol bombs and other lethal weapons to wreak havoc on the people of Hong Kong, attacking and injuring scores of them as a result. Yet, they are still lionized by the Western media.

The Hong Kong police have been extremely restrained in their response to the violence unleashed by these masked "black shirt" rioters. Yet, contrary to all evidence, the Western media accuses the police of brutality, even as they are attacked by armed thugs intent on inflicting bodily harm on the forces meant to maintain peace and stability within Hong Kong. In similar situations in France and more recently in Iraq, the police have responded with unrestrained violence, killing and wounding demonstrators, without any condemnation from either the U.S. or UK. What gives?

Obviously, the U.S. and the UK are not really concerned with either human life or human rights. They have had no qualms in dismembering Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya and supporting forces that have waged war against Yemen and countless other nations who did them no harm. How many have been maimed and murdered by U.S. and UK bombs and bullets over the last decades?

Getting back to Hong Kong, it should be obvious that the "black shirts" do not represent the people of Hong Kong. They are a small minority of disaffected youth, aided and abetted by anti-China Hong Kong oligarchs and the U.S. through its CIA sponsored surrogates like the National Endowment for Democracy, which are tasked with supporting pro-American "dissidents" wherever the U.S. wants to instigate a so-called "color revolution" to further its geopolitical interests. This story has been repeated time and time again and is part of the U.S. hybrid war playbook.

The U.S. and UK think that if they slap the brand "pro-democracy" on an anti-government movement it will automatically be seen by a global audience sympathetically. But, the world's people are not so naive, and no one should take what the U.S. or UK says seriously.

We have just witnessed the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. It has gone through twists and turns and emerged like a beautiful and vigorous butterfly from its cocoon. As Chinese President Xi Jinping stated, "There's no force that can shake the foundations of this great nation," and "No force can stop the Chinese people and the Chinese nation forging ahead." No hypocritical backbiting from those who wish to turn back the clock to a time when China was weak and defenseless will deter her from marching towards her destiny as a modern, prosperous and peace-loving nation.

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