" We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future " — George Bernard Shaw .
A recent interview with Secretary for Security Chris Tang called that line to mind. People always want to be wiser. But you never get there by replaying the past and refusing to face what's in front of you.
Secretary Tang noted that most of the young people arrested during the Black Riots incidents have now left prison. He believes the vast majority were incited by others and misled by false information, and that most have since expressed genuine remorse. For those incarcerated, authorities launched a programme called "Project PATH" — building their understanding of the nation and its history, offering career guidance, and encouraging positive thinking. Some participants have returned to school.
Secretary Tang also noted that for those arrested but not prosecuted, police have over the past year or two run dedicated outreach operations — working proactively within the legal framework to give this group a real chance to turn things around. The operational details are not suitable for public disclosure, but the aim is clear: a fresh start.
Security Bureau data through end of December last year shows 10,286 people were arrested in connection with the Black Riots. Of those, 2,978 have completed or are currently going through judicial proceedings, and 2,431 have been held legally accountable. That leaves 7,308 who were arrested but had yet to be prosecuted. Some have previously called for a blanket amnesty for everyone arrested at the time — but that was never a realistic option.
Because so many individuals involved in Black Riots cases have fled overseas, a large number of those cases remain unresolved — including some of the most serious ones. That backlog alone makes a blanket amnesty impossible.
The government, though, seems to have landed on a workable middle path: treating each case on its own terms, reaching out to individuals who have not been prosecuted through dedicated programmes, and arranging rehabilitation opportunities case by case.
A constructive way forward
For those already serving sentences, the government has pushed to help where it can. One case stands out: a university student at the time of his offence, he was arrested, imprisoned, and found on release that neither his alma mater nor any other university would take him back — afraid he would cause trouble again. A government official who learned of his situation looked into it, confirmed he had behaved well in prison and shown real remorse, and helped him secure a university place so he could continue with his education.
I have done some of this voluntary reintegration work myself. These are people who committed serious criminal acts in 2019, and many of them, reflecting on it now, say the same thing: they genuinely didn't know what was going on. They saw something online, acted on impulse, went out into the streets — and made a terrible mistake.
Many of them want to start over. What they fear is that society won't let them. Whether they are released prisoners who have served their time or people who were arrested but never charged, three paths lie ahead — and the choice is theirs.
First, if they truly cannot accept staying in Hong Kong, they can emigrate. Second, if they cannot stop themselves from causing trouble again, they will almost certainly face legal consequences once more. Third, they can rebuild their lives, take the right road, and own their future.
No matter what help others offer, the path is always your own to walk. But after seven years of what Hong Kong has been through, one thing is clear: at the crossroads, two very different groups of people are waiting — and they will lead you in completely opposite directions.
The first group: deceivers.
Seven years on, it is plain to see that the West — led by the United States — spent years agitating Hong Kong, stoking one radical political movement after another. The real goal was to incite Hong Kong people to bring down the SAR government, and ultimately the Central Government itself. Consider the elaborate operation Jimmy Lai ran. How many serving or former senior US officials were working behind the scenes? Court proceedings have already pulled back the curtain: former US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and former US Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau James Cunningham, both identified in proceedings served as advisers to Lai.
Then Donald Trump took office, and the illusions dissolved fast. Trump was blunt about it — MAGA cap on, American interests first, full stop. Democracy and freedom? Not his concern. Any government that crosses the United States or competes with it is a government he wants gone. If you staked your life on his cause, turned your back on your identity as Chinese, you had better have been ready for the bitter lesson that follows: you were always expendable.
Working in tandem from inside and out, Hong Kong had its own cast of barristers at the time, loudly urging Hong Kong people to follow Dr. Sun Yat-sen's example and launch a revolution — violence acceptable, they said. Today, every one of them is living well. At the decisive moment, they quietly stepped back. When the Hong Kong National Security Law took effect, they made a point of announcing, loudly, that they were out — a perfect illustration of the old saying: they are all for other people taking the risk, never themselves. If you put your trust in these deceivers, you paid a fool's price.
Second, family.
Hong Kong is our home. Choose to stay, and a family is here waiting for you. By choosing “family”, one needs to abide by the law, uphold stability, and keep Hong Kong moving forward. Consider how many places the United States has left in ruins — Libya, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, and now Iran. If we want Hong Kong to avoid that fate, we have to put security and stability first.
It is my sincere hope that people of Hong Kong who were arrested but not yet prosecuted will turn over a new leaf. The government has provided pathways for them to do exactly that.
Lo Wing-hung
Bastille Commentary
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
