Video shows Hong Kong police shooting in self-defence

Hong Kong continues to be in turmoil as protesters continue to take to the streets with their five demands. But the problem is, some of the protesters are more violent than others, and we have seen cases of people being beaten, property destroyed (smashed or set on fire), and clashes with the police. Yes, the protesters don't have firearms, but blunt weapons like metal pipes can still deliver fatal blows. And they have Molotov cocktails too.

So it was big news when the police shot one of the protesters with a live round. The global media basically exploded with "Police shot protester" headlines and news. The initial coverage seemed like the police using disproportionate force.

Until the video of what happened before the shooting came out.

And then, people see that it was the protesters who were being extremely violent, assaulting a lone policeman with blunt weapons like metal pipes and hammers. When other policemen turned up to assist, the protesters attacked them too. Which led to the shooting.

Such news coverage brings to question the protesters' legitimacy. One of their demands was about police violence. But with such a video now, it would seem that the police are not the violent ones, have been exercising restraint, and any use of force was in self-defence.

It also brings into question the global media's past coverage of the protest. Had the media been too one-sided in its coverage, playing up the legitimacy of the protesters while purposely trying to portray the Hong Kong government and police in a more negative light? Can we trust the media to be unbiased in its reporting?

Whatever the case, the violence of the protesters cannot be denied, with subway stations being torn apart and set on fire. Public buildings being attacked. Vandalism, destruction of public and private property, trespassing, the list of crimes goes on. And anyone who condones such action cannot be said to be a law-abiding person, cannot be said to be someone who promotes the rule of law.

The moment the protest turn violent was the moment the protesters lost their legitimacy, their morale high ground. Now, they are just a bunch of thugs sticking together so that they cannot be caught and tried. If they had not turned violent, they stood a chance. Now, everything is just going to go downhill.