Chinese daily mocks US Speaker’s remark on Hong Kong protests amid US Capitol violence
Nancy Pelosi had said it was ‘a sight to behold’ after protestors stormed the Hong Kong Legislative Council building in 2019.
Hours after supporters of outgoing United States President Donald Trump ransacked the Capitol building, Global Times, a state-affiliated Chinese daily tabloid recalled a comment made by US Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the attack on Hong Kong’s legislature building in 2019.
On July 1, 2019, pro-democracy activists stormed into the Hong Kong Legislative Council building, during the protests against an extradition bill that mandated citizens of the region to be sent to China for trials.
Pelosi had then described the incident as “a beautiful sight to behold”. In a tweet, Global Times highlighted that comment and others made by American authorities, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and compared them to their reactions to Thursday’s attack. The tabloid drew parallels using photos of the attack on the Hong Kong Legislative Council and that of Richard Barnett, one of the rioters on Thursday who was captured sitting in Pelosi’s chamber.
.@SpeakerPelosi once referred to the Hong Kong riots as "a beautiful sight to behold" — it remains yet to be seen whether she will say the same about the recent developments in Capitol Hill. pic.twitter.com/91iXDzYpcO
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 7, 2021
In an article published on the matter, the media outlet claimed that words like “Karma,” “retribution” and “deserving” were being used by people in China to describe the riots in the US Capitol building. It further reported that “Trump said he would never concede” and “Trump supporters storm Capitol” were among the most searched and read topics on China’s social media platform, Sina Weibo.
“Chinese web users still remember the distress and anger they felt when they saw rioters in Hong Kong storming the Legislative Council Complex,” the article asserted.
However, Global Times did not provide links or screenshots of the Chinese internet users it quoted.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in the US put out an advisory warning its nationals to strengthen safety precautions in light of the “large-scale demonstration” in Washington, according to The Indian Express.
On Thursday morning, hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol complex in Washington DC, and clashed with the police as members of the Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential elections. A woman was shot dead inside the Capitol, while three people died in medical emergencies, the Washington DC police have said. As many as 52 people have been arrested so far.