Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

reddit.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 957 posts

Re: Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

#21

Post by TheAdamAndChe »

program_whiz wrote: post #13

Sure, the kid was swinging at the officer, and I suppose that warrants the officer acting in self-defense. But another question is, what are the protesters supposed to do? The government has all the power, and can simply snuff out any resistence. If you just stand in the streets, they really don't care, they are going to take your freedom. Imagine if the US suddenly had a dictator that just decided they were going to…

You said yourself that the government has all the power, and can simply snuff out any resistence. If that's the case, doesn't that make the protesters assault a senseless assault? What were they trying to accomplish when they were beating the officer?

Re: Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

#22

Post by swarnie_ »

nvahalik wrote: post #18

> Imagine if the US suddenly had a dictator This is why we have the second amendment. And the constitution as the thing to which office-holders swear allegiance to rather than to "the party" or "the president".

Non-American here, i never really understood your second amendment or how you cling to it in the modern age.

What are a couple of rednecks with assault rifles (which arguably they shouldn't be able to purchase anyway) going to do against semi-autonomy kill droids being flown from a bunker in the desert?

Re: Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

#23

Post by schuke »

program_whiz wrote: post #13

Sure, the kid was swinging at the officer, and I suppose that warrants the officer acting in self-defense. But another question is, what are the protesters supposed to do? The government has all the power, and can simply snuff out any resistence. If you just stand in the streets, they really don't care, they are going to take your freedom. Imagine if the US suddenly had a dictator that just decided they were going to…

I’m from the mainland and totally with HK’s cause. But I do think the violence is at least unnecessary if not detrimental to the movement. If tanks roll in, there’s no point using violence as they’ll be crushed. If they don’t, it seems to me there’s enough space for peaceful protests, which can be even more effectual in many ways. And the people of Hong Kong have shown an incredible amount of creativity in non-violent protests. The kid is so young he shouldn’t be involved in such violence. I hope he will make a full recovery.

Re: Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

#24

Post by foobarian »

Great Britain gave HK back to China. They can do with it as they please - unfortunately I don't see how the protesters can come out on the right side of this without a revolution.

Thought experiment: if say Rhode Island had a Muslim majority and they voted themselves Sharia law in violation of federal articles, how cavalier would the federal government / the rest of the populous be in tolerating this?

Re: Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

#25

Post by kristiandupont »

nvahalik wrote: post #18

> Imagine if the US suddenly had a dictator This is why we have the second amendment. And the constitution as the thing to which office-holders swear allegiance to rather than to "the party" or "the president".

If HK'ers had a similar right to carry guns, do you honestly believe that they would be any better off right now?

Re: Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

#26

Post by swarnie_ »

Clubber wrote: post #3

People don't think this sort of thing can happen in the US. Just look at what the federal, state and local government does to people it doesn't like now.

> People don't think this sort of thing can happen in the US

Yes we do.

Its one of the reasons i avoid visiting the US besides the obvious TSA/Immigration controls.

Re: Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

#27

Post by JumpCrisscross »

cdmckay wrote: post #20
PostPost wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. Everyone that's read the news in the last few years knows this young people can be shot by police in the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Tamir_Rice 2. This link is about what's happening in Hong Kong, not the US, and this sort of what-about-ism isn't informative or helpful.

I think it is helpful because it’s asking for consistency. People are (rightfully) outraged when a protestor dies in Hong Kong, but protestors also die in the US. For example, the Kent State shootings: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings The point is that if you’re demanding a certain standard from China or other countries, you should demand that in the US as well.

> if you’re demanding a certain standard from China or other countries, you should demand that in the US as well

America not being a dictatorship, there are people demanding this. Through elected leaders. Through independent courts. Through Constitutionally-protected assembly and protest.

None of the above apply in China. And they’re rapidly eroding in Hong Kong, too.

Yes, we should be outraged by police violence in America. But it’s a matchstick to the blast furnace that is Xi’s regime of secret police, political repression and concentration camps.

Re: Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

#28

Post by ericmay »

swarnie_ wrote: post #22
nvahalik wrote: post #18

> Imagine if the US suddenly had a dictator This is why we have the second amendment. And the constitution as the thing to which office-holders swear allegiance to rather than to "the party" or "the president".

Non-American here, i never really understood your second amendment or how you cling to it in the modern age. What are a couple of rednecks with assault rifles (which arguably they shouldn't be able to purchase anyway) going to do against semi-autonomy kill droids being flown from a bunker in the desert?

The same thing that people in Afghanistan did?

It's also not cool to characterize people who have assault rifles or support the 2nd amendment as rednecks. I'm certainly not one. It's actually kind of offensive to even use that term anyway if you ask me.

Re: Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

#29

Post by mc32 »

program_whiz wrote: post #13

Sure, the kid was swinging at the officer, and I suppose that warrants the officer acting in self-defense. But another question is, what are the protesters supposed to do? The government has all the power, and can simply snuff out any resistence. If you just stand in the streets, they really don't care, they are going to take your freedom. Imagine if the US suddenly had a dictator that just decided they were going to…

Obviously this is very complicated. Protesters have rights but so do police officers —we hope both operate within the bounds of the law and then that politicians would do the work for a compromise.

But, it becomes really complicated rather fast when rights get eroded.

When the Russians were caught unprepared for war, it wasn’t “right” to send their young conscripts to war with antiquated arms against a modernized force. But what was the alternative to certain carnage? Supplicant carnage? I don’t condone what the Soviets did to their own, but at the same time they had little alternative, though it was due to negligence at the highest office at the time.

Re: Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

#30

Post by sudhirj »

swarnie_ wrote: post #22
nvahalik wrote: post #18

> Imagine if the US suddenly had a dictator This is why we have the second amendment. And the constitution as the thing to which office-holders swear allegiance to rather than to "the party" or "the president".

Non-American here, i never really understood your second amendment or how you cling to it in the modern age. What are a couple of rednecks with assault rifles (which arguably they shouldn't be able to purchase anyway) going to do against semi-autonomy kill droids being flown from a bunker in the desert?

Same thing the original Americans did when protesting the massively better trained and armed British Army. Keep their wits about them and keep fighting.

If anything the war in Afghanistan has proven that technology is no match for resilience and grit.

Post reply on HN