Remember Nancy Pelosi's "a beautiful sight to behold" comment about the Hong Kong riots back in 2019? Well, it seems the chickens have come home to roost. The US is now giving us a masterclass in how to handle riots, and let's just say, it's a far cry from the "hands-off" approach they expected from Hong Kong.
From "Beautiful Sight" to Harsh Reality
The hypocrisy is astounding. Two days after riots broke out in Los Angeles, the US National Guard was immediately deployed to the streets of Los Angeles to suppress the unrest. Now, Trump demonstrates to the world how to use the toughest measures to quell riots.
ICE Storms LA: Raids and Reactions
It all kicked off on June 6th, when the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), together with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), launched an unprecedented anti-immigration enforcement operation in Los Angeles. The operation covered downtown Los Angeles and several surrounding areas.
The enforcement was far more forceful than expected. Fully armed federal agents stormed workplaces with unmarked military vehicles, arresting at least 44 suspected illegal immigrants.
That sparked outrage. In the afternoon of June 6, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Edward Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, demanding ICE release the detainees. Things quickly escalated as the number of protesters swelled to over a thousand. Protesters blocked the federal building’s entrances and exits, shouting slogans such as "Free them, let them stay," spray-painted numerous anti-ICE slogans on ICE vehicles, and some began throwing incendiary devices at police vehicle wheels and even chased ICE convoys.
By June 7, the conflict escalated further. In Paramount, southern Los Angeles, law enforcement and protesters faced off tensely. Protesters threw debris at officers, who responded with tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. That evening, the Los Angeles Police Department declared the gathering an unlawful assembly and issued a dispersal order, but the protesters did not retreat and engaged in fierce confrontations with police.
Trump's Heavy Hand: National Guard and the Insurrection Act
Trump, never one to shy away from a strongarm tactic, authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members in Los Angeles and even threatened to mobilize active-duty Marines. He dusted off the Insurrection Act of 1807, a law usually reserved for insurrections or serious obstruction of law enforcement. Historically, this law was used by President Eisenhower in 1957 in Arkansas to enforce school desegregation policies.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, ever the firebrand, labeled the LA protests as "violent insurrection," justifying Trump's move. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chimed in, calling the protests a "significant national security risk". If violence continued, active-duty Marines would be mobilized, and they were on "high alert."
Political Calculations and Double Standards
Trump's aggressive actions in California are seen as a calculated political move. By targeting a Democratic stronghold, he puts Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass in a tough spot . They have to quell the riots while facing immense pressure from the Trump administration.
In 2019, Hong Kong saw far worse violence, with students making petrol bombs and turning streets into infernos. Yet, Hong Kong remained restrained. The People's Liberation Army was not deployed. The US, on the other hand, is quick to deploy troops on its own soil .
It's a classic case of "do as I say, not as I do." The US sanctioned many mainland and Hong Kong officials over Hong Kong’s enactment of the National Security Law and the so-called suppression of 2019 riots. Now, when the US faces riots, it deploys troops within two days. Trump’s approach continues to astonish people every day.
And where are those Hong Kong exiles in the United States now? Surely they should be out there supporting the protesters in California, right?
Lo Wing-hung
Bastille Commentary
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
You'd think after five years, people would get the message. But apparently not. Hong Kong's National Security Law continues to claim new victims, this time including a 15-year-old who clearly didn't think things through.
There's an old Chinese saying that perfectly sums up Hong Kong's political situation: "The tree wants to be quiet but the wind is not stopping." While many are calling for the government to dial down the security law rhetoric and pursue reconciliation, others are still brazenly engaging in subversive activities as if the Hong Kong Police is non-existant.
The Latest Arrests: Playing with Fire
Yesterday's police action saw four Chinese nationals aged 15 to 47 arrested for allegedly violating Article 22 of the Hong Kong National Security Law - specifically, "subversion of state power." These individuals had apparently joined something called the "Hong Kong Democratic Independence Alliance" which was set up in Taiwan and sounds about as subtle as a brick through a window.
This organisation announced itself on social media back in November 2024, making it crystal clear what they were about: subverting state power and achieving "Hong Kong independence." They weren't exactly hiding their intentions - they even went so far as to propose their own national flags and anthems, seek international support, and plan military training for Hong Kong people abroad.
The four arrestees had various roles within this organisation, from secretary-general to ordinary members. They were busy designing badges and flags, researching ways to secure foreign support, and organising military training. Police even found a document titled "Proposal to Urge the United States to Formulate a Hong Kong Political Prisoner Rescue Plan" on their devices.
The Puppet Master: Meet "Pastor Jiang"
The mastermind behind this outfit is apparently one Jiang Jiawei, who styles himself as "Pastor Jiang." But he's about as much a pastor as I am a ballet dancer.
This character had actually been sentenced to eight months in Hong Kong for seditious intent before skipping off to Taiwan. The Hong Kong-Macau Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church had to issue a statement clarifying that while Jiang was baptised in their church, he was never ordained as a pastor. So much for that credential.
The guy's track record in Taiwan hasn't exactly been stellar either. He was stabbed during a drunken altercation in Taipei last March - hardly the behaviour you'd expect from a man of the cloth. Even Taiwan seems to have had enough of him, with the Mainland Affairs Council refusing his residency application and immigration officials reportedly telling him to buy a ticket to Japan.
Yet this same "Pastor Jiang" continues operating online, recruiting followers and remotely controlling them to cause trouble back in Hong Kong. That 15-year-old who got arrested? He's a perfect example of what happens when young people fall for these smooth-talking political fraudsters.
The Broader Picture: Old Poison, New Victims
What's particularly telling about this case is what police found during their searches. Alongside the usual separatist paraphernalia - flags featuring snow lions (Tibetan independence), Greater Canton independence symbols, and "Liberate Hong Kong" banners - they discovered piles of Apple Daily newspapers.
This really drives home how the toxic ideology peddled by that publication continues to poison minds long after it shut down. These individuals had clearly been fed a steady diet of subversive and separatist propaganda that ultimately led them down this destructive path.
The organisation's talk of seeking international support and providing military training should remind us of the "Dragon Slaying" case, where defendants went to Taiwan for military training, returned to Hong Kong to manufacture bombs, and planned to detonate them in busy areas targeting police officers. What might seem like an absurd political stunt can quickly escalate into something far more dangerous.
The Bottom Line
What we're seeing here is a classic case of "the cunning speak while the foolish act." Characters like "Pastor Jiang" sit safely abroad, spinning their rhetoric and recruiting followers online, while naive individuals - including impressionable teenagers - end up facing serious criminal charges for their actions.
The reality is that Hong Kong's national security apparatus isn't going anywhere, and pretending otherwise is a dangerous delusion. Those who continue to test these boundaries are playing a game they simply cannot win.
Lo Wing-hung
