BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday said some European and American people are abiding by double standards by shielding rioters in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and turning a blind eye to their violence and illegal acts.
Spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks came as Eliot L. Engel, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said that he was "deeply concerned by the reports of police brutality in response to peaceful protests in Hong Kong," and that "allegations of police violence over the past weeks have tarnished Hong Kong's international reputation for good governance and the fair administration of justice."
Hua expressed her doubts on Engel's comments and said he has "turned white to black" and "confused right and wrong."
"How can some Americans use the words 'peaceful protests' when seeing violent protesters storm the Legislative Council Complex and besiege the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, not to mention the organized assault on police by lethal weapons?" Hua asked.
She recalled a resolution passed by the European Parliament earlier this year which stressed that demonstrations and freedom of expression, which are not without limits, must be exercised within the law and subject to police enforcement restrictions.
Hua also said during the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011, the New York authorities intensified police by gathering policemen from eight cities, deploying explosion-proof vehicle, riot squads, snipers and horse teams and using weapons such as electric batons and taser guns.
Saying the U.S. police have repeatedly mentioned force must be used when there is any threat to the lives of the officers, Hua wonders if officers in Washington D.C. and New York were assaulted in the same way as those in the HKSAR, what the U.S. police would do.
She reiterated that the central government firmly supports the HKSAR government in exercising effective governance and the police there in punishing lawless and violent acts in accordance with the law, so as to safeguard long-term stability, development and prosperity of the city.
All people with a sense of justice and all citizens who truly love Hong Kong should make joint efforts for Hong Kong's long-term peace and stability, Hua added.
