A group of Hong Kong activists held an anti-Chinese protest on China National Day this Tuesday. Two tourists claiming to be from China threw a flag that read “Free Hong Kong-Revolution Now” on the ground, yelling that they would not allow such flags to fly on China National Day and that Taiwan belongs to China.
Radio Free Asia reported that the group of Hong Kong activists chose the busiest location in Ximen, Taipei, to protest against China’s infringement of democracy, freedom, and human rights inside and outside of Hong Kong.
Organizers arrived shortly before the scheduled time to set up, when two tourists appeared, getting into an argument with the protestors and throwing their flag on the ground. Police arrived briefly after to separate the two parties, allowing the Chinese tourists to walk away.
One organizer, a Hong Kong national residing in Taiwan, said that Chinese tourists may not agree with the ideas of the Hong Kong people, but that does not give them the right to destroy others’ property. They added that such vandalism is not tolerated, and asked the Chinese tourists to go back to China if they don’t appreciate freedom instead of destroying democracy and freedom for others.