Hong Kong general strike? No, it was hijacked by rioters

If you got up on Monday in Hong Kong and looked out of the window, what would you have seen?

Street lamps were damaged. The nearest MTR station was closed. There were groups of masked rioters standing at street corners, holding weapons and a big sign with "Road Closed" on it.

What choice did you have? We pay respect to those who were brave enough to walk out to work, but we fully understand if some had to stay at home for their safety.

That is what rioters in Hong Kong claim to be a "general strike" that lasted three days since Nov 11. The fact is that people do not want to join their strike, but are just kept from going to work because of blocked streets, damaged infrastructure and closed MTR stations.

Just have a look at the traffic problems Hong Kong faced on Monday:

Bicycles and ladders were thrown onto the tracks between Sha Tin and Tai Wai on the East Rail line; A petrol bomb was hurled at Tung Chung station; A fire was started at Heng On station.

As a result, 32 MTR stations were closed and the Airport Express could run only between Hong Kong station and the airport, skipping Kowloon and Tsing Yi.

The danger for students was not lighter. On Tuesday night, rioters occupied the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus and turned it into a battleground. Besides their commonly used bricks, which proved fatal in the killing of a 70-year-old man on Tuesday, they were also armed with bows and arrows that had fire on the arrowheads.

When the photos of CUHK were released on social media outlets, one of the most popular comments was: "I thought the photos were taken in Syria." For the students from the Chinese mainland studying there, that night was full of threats and dangers and many had to flee with the help of kind-hearted local residents.

It was under these dangerous circumstances that the Hong Kong Department of Education had to suspend classes for all schools on Nov 12.

Can anybody call this a "strike"? It is a "hijack"! The innocent people and their children are prevented from working or going to school by the rioters, and Hong Kong was hijacked by them!

The evil plans of the rioters have already been clearly recognized and resisted by most people in Hong Kong. Just as several recently widespread video clips show, the rioters faced heavy criticism from local residents whenever they were not in groups.

On Wednesday, local residents in Yuen Long went to the street, wearing "We are good Hong Kong residents" on their arms and holding banners saying "We love Hong Kong, we love China, this is our home". Their deeds show the true feelings of Hong Kong people.

There are only eight days left before the election for the local legislature in Hong Kong, and we hope the local people can stay united to defeat the evil forces behind the rioters.