China's Foreign Ministry Thursday denounced the remarks made by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi supporting the "non-violent" protest in Hong Kong, slamming it as ignoring "crystal-clear" facts and shielding the ugly truth behind the blatant violence in Hong Kong.
Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said U.S. politicians like Pelosi publicly condoning violence in Hong Kong emboldens rioters and illegal violence.
"It's 100 percent street violence and illegal actions in Hong Kong, that's common facts, crystal clear," Hua said during Thursday's daily briefing after Pelosi called what happened in Hong Kong "nonviolent protest."
"It's just because of people like Nancy Pelosi, who shield and encourage the protests, that the rioters are acting so furiously," she said, noting that rioters have smashed stores and public facilities, beaten up innocent passersby, and attacked the police using acid and implements over the past weeks.
An anti-government protester vandalizes an MTR station during a protest in Hong Kong, China, October 20, 2019. /Reuters Photo
An anti-government protester vandalizes an MTR station during a protest in Hong Kong, China, October 20, 2019. /Reuters Photo
"I have no idea how much blood the Hong Kong police have to give and how much tears the local residents have to shed before people like Pelosi can understand the situation," the spokesperson said, warning "people like Pelosi" that no matter how their eyes are deceived, Hong Kong is part of China.
No amount of effort in meddling in its affairs will succeed, any plans to split Hong Kong are nothing but pipe dreams, she stressed.
Pelosi posted a photo on Wednesday of her meeting with a group of three Hong Kong people, including masterminds behind Hong Kong riots Jimmy Lai and Martin Lee.
"My full support and admiration goes to those who have taken to the streets week after week in non-violent protest to fight for democracy and the rule of law in #HongKong," Pelosi tweeted.
Hong Kong has been gripped by increasingly violent protests over the last few months as radical protesters resorted to more and more deadly weapons, hurling knives, bricks, hammers, metal poles, petrol bombs and firing slingshots at police.
In the recent violence in Spain's Catalonia and the UK's capital London, protesters blockaded airports and smashed up shops, claiming they are "copying Hong Kong's riots." So far, some Western politicians and media have been silent on the protests compared with their broad coverage of the so-called "pro-democracy activities" in Hong Kong.