On Saturday November 2nd, the lobby of China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency in Hong Kong’s Wanchai district was set on fire during one of the anti-government protests and several windows and glass doors were smashed. The fire was later controlled and no casualties were reported. Xinhua (New China) News Agency, which is closely controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, is notorious as a mouthpiece of the Beijing regime.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) firmly condemns this criminal attack that could have had dramatic consequences. “No act of violence against the media is acceptable whatever the circumstances,'' says Cédric Alviani, head of RSF East Asia Bureau, who also urges the Hong Kong authorities to “immediately launch an independent investigation and ensure that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice.”
Since the beginning of the protests in June, there have been numerous cases of abuse against the media in Hong Kong, mostly perpetrated by the law enforcement or gangs. The demonstrations originally started against an Extradition Bill which has since been withdrawn. Protesters’ demands have now evolved into calls for democratic reforms.
In the RSF World Press Freedom Index, Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, has plummeted from 18th in 2002 to 73rd this year.
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