Demonstrations should be peaceful

TODAY the government puts its 2012constitutional reform package to the vote inthe legislative chamber. People who are for itand those who are against it will rally outside theLegislative Council (Legco) building, which will againbe surrounded by crowds. Rising wind now forebodesa storm. We hope protesters will act in a civilisedmanner in any event. Police officers, who Secretary forSecurity Ambrose Lee has said will act decisively,should enforce the law in a civilised manner. All shouldexercise restraint lest Hong Kong should see clashesor even bloodshed.

We gather that at least ten groups willdemonstrate outside the Legco building, and theiractivities will on the whole be "peaceful and gentle".

However, some who have all along acted fiercely willalso be there. Their ways of demonstration areanything but "peaceful" or "gentle". Because of thisand other factors that may induce violence, it may justbe many people's fond hope that peace andgentleness will reign outside the Legco building. Thatis very unlikely to be the case.

None can tell accurately what will happen in amass movement. However, if any resort to violence orother improper behaviour, decent demonstrators areobligated to do their best to make it clear that theyhave nothing to do with troublemakers. They ought tocondemn their behaviour lest their calls should bedrowned out with foul language or their fight pollutedwith unlawful deeds. If decent demonstrators refuse tobe used by people with ulterior motives, their civilised,rational struggle will radiate deeply moving tension andglamour.

To tell troublemakers the spirit of democracy liesin mutual respect and tolerance is like to play the luteto a cow. The reason is that it is their study to gobeyond the bounds of propriety and gag the majoritythough they are in the minority.

The other day some members of the League ofSocial Democrats were present at an Alliance ofUniversal Suffrage event. They besieged, abused andridiculed members of the Alliance including RichardTsoi, on whom an "All Wrong" label was stuck. Strictlyspeaking, the labeller may have committed the offenceof common assault. Richard Tsoi was toomagnanimous to be bothered about it. However, whatpassed between them demonstrates the differencebetween civility and insolence.

Clashes have recently broken out between policeofficers and demonstrators. Such clashes are oftentriggered by demonstrators' provocations. During ananti-XRL demonstration, a few troublemakers tried toseize barricades and flung glass bottles up. Policeofficers stopped them with pepper spray. It is acceptedthat they provoked the police. No sophistry they canuse helps reverse that view or justify what they did.

Mass movements that are civilised, rational andpeaceful are commendable. It is not satisfactory ifwhether what happens in a demonstration is right hasto be determined with the help of the law. It islamentable if police officers have to use force to putdown a demonstration and, as a result, there isbloodshed. Such a demonstration cannot be describedas a success. There is no preventing people frommaking use of an opportunity to cause trouble during ademonstration. We only hope decent demonstratorswill be alert and avoid being used by such people.

We demand that police officers enforce the law ina civilised manner. During the anti-XRLdemonstration, some legislators and officials werebarred from leaving the Legco building. The policecould do little to help them. They may think they werehumiliated. Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee hastold the police to enforce the law decisively. Yesterday,police officers set ring upon ring of barricades aroundthe Legco building. The atmosphere there is grim.

None doubts that police officers are determined andable to enforce the law. However, in our view, it is offirst importance for them to exercise restraint. Theymust be as tolerant as possible. They must not bequick to use excessive force in the name of law andorder.

明報英語網「雙語社評」english.mingpao.com/critic.htm 2010.06.23明報社評

市民抗爭要文明警方執法也要文明

2012 年政改方案決議案，政府今日提交立法會表決，支持和反對方案的團體、人士，都會到立法會大樓外集會，民衆包圍立法會的場面勢將重現。於此山雨欲來風滿樓之際，我們希望無論怎樣，各方要以文明方式抗爭，保安局長李少光聲言會果斷執法的警隊，也要文明執法，各自克制，避免出現衝突甚至流血的場面。

今次反對政改方案的抗爭，據知最少有10 個團體在立法會大樓外示威，群衆組合形式，與反高鐵撥款一役相若。據知整體以「和平溫柔」為基調。不過，一貫取態激烈的人士，也會到場，他們的抗爭手法，與和平溫柔風馬牛不相及，加上其他潛在激烈變數，以反高鐵的前例，屆時會場整體氛圍的和平溫柔，可能只是許多人的主觀良好願望，客觀環境卻不會出現。

無人能夠準確預計群衆運動可能發生什麼事，不過，若有激烈不當行為出現，正派抗爭者有劃清界線與抵制的能力和責任，使抗爭不致被粗言穢語淹沒、甚至被違法行為所污染。只要正派抗爭者不被別有用心的人利用，文明理性抗爭就會煥發使人動容的張力和魅力。

對於一些存心搞事的團體和人士，與他們說民主精神貴在相互尊重和包容，乃對牛彈琴，因為他們的思維裏，只有出位、出格，意圖以少數壓制多數。

日前普選聯一項活動，社民連踩場，普選聯成員除了被圍攻、語言搶白和指摘，成員蔡耀昌被人強貼「超錯」貼紙。嚴格來說，強貼舉措有侵犯個人自由之嫌，蔡耀昌寬宏大量不計較，但是文明與野蠻，在這個互動之間，就見到分野。

同樣地，近期在示威抗爭行動中出現的示威者與警員肢體衝突場面，許多時是執勤警員遭到挑釁所觸發。例如上次反高鐵事件，少數搞事者搶鐵馬、飛擲玻璃瓶等行為，警方以胡椒噴霧鎮壓，事後示威者無論怎樣扭橫折曲美化其行動，也無法扭轉挑釁的論定。

群衆運動能夠文明、理性、平和進行，會最為人稱道；若靠法律判別對錯，已屬次之；若不幸導致警方以武力鎮壓，導致流血事件，則屬敗筆與不幸了。在集會中，若搞事者藉機製造事端，事前也無法制止，只希望正派抗爭者保持警覺，不要盲目被利用而已。

除了抗爭者，我們也要求警方文明執法。反高鐵事件，官員與議員被困事件，警方對於當日的無能為助，或許認為很丟臉，今次保安局長對警隊立下「果斷執法」的軍令狀，警方昨日已經在立法會大樓外佈防，用重重鐵馬把大樓保護起來，瀰漫着一股肅殺之氣。無人懷疑警方執法的決心和能力，不過，我們認為警方首要仍然是克制，盡量容忍，不能動輒以維護社會秩序及安定和平之名，過分使用武力。

Glossary

fond hopea hope about something that is not likely tohappen.

study

an aim one strives to achieve.

magnanimous /mag'nanIm ?s/kind, generous and forgiving.

每周一音標