Editor's note: Li Zheng is an associate research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, Institute of American Studies and the director of the American Security Center, Institute of American Studies. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

In the past six months, large-scale demonstrations have risen around the world. Now, this storm is striking America. On November 1, a large-scale demonstration against the New York Police Department (NYPD) broke out due to "over-policing" on the New York subway. Many demonstrators jumped the toll. Some vandalized public property.

No matter what the trigger for the protest is, the U.S. government's attitude towards this chaos is very clear. To tackle this, New York City has increased police forces to the subway for assistance in additional law enforcement. U.S. President Trump also sent out a tweet, saying, "Our great police are being disrespected."

The attitude of the U.S. government towards this incident is very different from its attitude towards the situation in Hong Kong. This shows the double standard of the United States. In the eyes of the U.S. government, New York demonstrations are seen as dangerous and violent while that of Hong Kong are praised as "pro-democracy." The mandatory law enforcement actions of the NYPD are respected, while the response of the Hong Kong police is blamed as violent enforcement. This double standard is one of the reasons why the Chinese people can never accept the U.S. government's position on the Hong Kong issue.

However, the protests in New York are probably just the beginning. This round of protests around the world has spread to more than a dozen of countries and regions. From previous experience, once the protest erupts, it is hardly possible for it to cease naturally in a short period of time. Different countries have different protest grounds and incentives. The main drivers of protests around the world are inflation and the long-term lacking of government's solutions to the basic living security of the underlying people.

Although the reasons are varied, forms of violent protests are highly similar. Most of the time, violent protesters block traffic, destroy public facilities and prevent the city from functioning. Compared with peaceful demonstrations, violent demonstration brings more trouble to people's normal life and economic activities. Some people may be late to work because of the demonstrations. Others could be injured by demonstrators. The paralysis of public facilities will only cause a vicious circle of accumulating more anger and dissatisfaction.

Ordinary people who want to maintain social order don't have enough power to fight against this. Only the police and other governmental forces have the ability to stop the riots and restore social order. If there are no police to maintain social order, protesters are likely to enter an anarchic situation soon. Police forces needed to be respected for their stature and the purpose endowed upon them.

The escalating protests in New York and other cities in the United States may have led the U.S. government to realize that the violent protests in Hong Kong and the United States are similar to some extent. Protesters have an anarchic tendency and likely to rebel against any government without considering the political system.

These demonstrators are not pro-democracy protesters. In fact, they destroy social order by attacking public facilities and confronting the police. A correct perception of this kind demonstration may help the U.S. get rid of their prejudice against the Hong Kong police.

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