The force is with who?

HONG KONG had long been renowned for the peacefulness of its protests and the tact with which police normally handled them. So it was a shock to the territory when, in 2014, police at first responded aggressively to pro-democracy unrest that began with large-scale demonstrations and continued with weeks of sit-ins on roads. The protesters’ means of defence against the pepper spray and tear gas gave its name to the movement: the Umbrella Revolution. It ended peacefully, but the damage had been done. Growing public mistrust of a vital institution was added to longstanding anxiety about China’s political influence in the territory. This does not augur well for Hong Kong’s stability.