FILE PHOTO: A riot police officer holds a pepper spray projectile as he disperse anti-government protesters from a shopping mall during a rally following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Hong Kong, China May 1, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
May 6, 2020
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Hong Kong affairs office on Wednesday condemned Hong Kong protesters as a “political virus” who seek independence, warning that the city will never be calm unless what it said were violent black-clad protesters were all removed.
The office warned that China’s central government will not sit idly by “with this recklessly demented force in place” and that China’s greatest responsibility is in maintaining order and safeguarding national security.
(Reporting by Huizhong Wu, Yew Lun Tian and Se Young Lee; Editing by Tom Hogue)
