Police carrying riot gear and firing tear gas evicted protesters who had stormed and ransacked Hong Kong's parliament building on Monday, but Beijing's state-controlled media would apparently rather mainland China's citizenry remain unaware of the protests in the first place.
Monday's pro-Democracy demonstration took place on the 22nd anniversary of the day Britain handed over control of the city to China, which is normally a quiet affair. But a proposed bill that would allow extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China has sparked a series of mass protests in recent weeks, with demonstrators arguing it threatens Hong Kong's rule of law.
On Monday, some of the protesters were able to smash their way into Hong Kong's legislative council where they defaced the emblem of Hong Kong in the central chamber, raised the old British colonial flag, spray-painted messages across the walls, and shattered furniture before being dispersed by police.
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But mainland China's entirely state-controlled media didn't mention Monday's protests once. The main evening news broadcast showed video of the flag-raising ceremony associated with the anniversary, along with parts of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam's address and shots of Hong Kong residents praising displays put on by China's People's Liberation Army. The protests, though, didn't make the cut, The Associated Press reports. In fact, Chinese media outlets have barely reported on the protests at all, other than the occasional mention of how foreign forces were stirring up unrest in the territory.
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