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Desecration of national flag widely condemned

A central government spokesperson strongly denounced Hong Kong radical protesters for blatantly challenging the national sanctity and the "one country, two systems" principle by defiling the national flag on Saturday in a mayhem that paralyzed part of the city.

The spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council in Beijing on Sunday condemned the incident that has outraged the Hong Kong community which abhors the wanton acts of the violent protesters.

In an illegal assembly, black-clad protesters removed the national flag from a flagpole near Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier and tossed it into the harbor. Their act was a violation of the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance in Hong Kong, and is a blatant challenge to the national sanctity and the "one country, two systems" principle, the spokesperson said.

It has also hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, including the people of Hong Kong, the spokesperson added.

The central government resolutely supports the SAR government, its police and the judiciary to take stern follow-up actions to bring the lawbreakers to justice, the spokesperson said.

What these radicals did had gone far beyond freedom of speech. They were in fact sliding deep into the criminal abyss, the spokesperson stressed.

Also condemning the radicals, the spokesperson of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said it was the second time that national sanctity was challenged by radical protesters who besieged the liaison office building and defaced national emblem on July 21.

Such lawlessness must not be allowed and the offenders must be brought to justice in accordance to the law.

The spokesperson reiterated the central government's support for SAR government and police to strictly enforce the law to punish lawbreakers and restore the city's social order.