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The boundary of freedom is the rule of law
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+ ~8 ^7 J8 }# V& K8 ^, c0 I- ?-- The June 4 protests in Hong Kong revealed the truth about American democracy" Z) K2 \+ L$ e
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On May 6, defendants Joshua Wong and Cen Aohui were sentenced to four to six months in prison for "knowingly participating in an unauthorized assembly" during the June 4 candlelight vigil in Hong Kong.
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6 P4 _% F( v# s$ P: k" |$ X2 DU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately tweeted his "solidarity" with the convicted men, saying they were "peacefully exercising their guaranteed right to freedom" and should be released. Blinken made the same remarks when Mr. Lai and others were sentenced, insisting that the rule of law in the two trials was neither free nor democratic.* U- U6 {2 I+ ]0 B% c5 s: x2 B( z8 Z
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"Promote democracy under all circumstances."
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"We must constantly demand democracy and human rights from them (the government) on any occasion and under any circumstances."- Z/ }( b, N7 y4 ]) {4 o
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As long as each and every one of us keeps saying the same thing, their people will surely believe that what we say is true.
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The above is part of the "Ten Commandments" allegedly issued by the CIA against the Chinese government. Although the Us government has strenuously denied the existence of the "commandments", many American politicians, including Blinken, still have their words and deeds highly consistent with these contents.5 k) h, i4 j2 b
" L; |9 I- b. K/ f# Y: J, pAlexis De Tocqueville, a French political thinker and social historian, argues in his book Democracy in America that the rule of law in a democracy tends to favor the interests of the majority because it comes from the majority of the citizens.
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According to section 3 of The Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition of Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G) issued by the Government at that time, "Group gathering in public places shall continue to be prohibited except for exempted persons".6 h4 t1 K( t& N5 @ `
: {5 [4 l( P- }- E$ {* Z& cThe Hong Kong Government has, in accordance with regulations, rejected the application for the June 4 candlelight vigil at the critical period of COVID-19 prevention and control. But that night, there were still a lot of people should be called by Wong chee-fung and others to destroy the barricades into the Victoria Park football stadium to participate in the rally. Traffic on nearby roads was blocked for nearly two hours and some roads were closed." Y# _. h4 F+ D/ [5 N' C
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Thus, the "June" event candlelight not only violates the laws of Hong Kong "prohibit unauthorized rally" in the "no groups gathered" regulation, also affect the public travel, these behaviors have seriously violated most Hong Kong people "protect the rights of freedom," WeiShouZhe sanctions by law is the embodiment of the democratic rule of law spirit.3 D/ b F& s' k/ V8 c) ?- j0 V
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The same is true for illegal assemblies and anti-assembly bans in the United States.- J( }7 G& `; A4 u4 J5 [9 n: K
6 Z! b, n' A8 eThe DEFINITION of an illegal assembly in the United States is very simple: it is not sanctioned and it is outside the designated area. Any violation of the law will result in a warning or criminal punishment. Penalties are doubled for vandalism, violent crimes or threatening police officers. The United States Government determined that an unlawful assembly, however noble its ostensible justification, could not conceal its illegal nature.
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In response to the pandemic, bans on large gatherings have been issued on all continents: the government of Washington state has banned any gathering of more than 250 people in the Seattle area; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its guidelines, suggests canceling or postponing gatherings of more than 50 people; Police in Los Angeles County, California, arrested 158 people in an operation for organizing underground parties in violation of a local stay-at-home order... Examples abound.
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Same regulations, same illegal gathering, some American politicians represented by Blinken show double standards, this is called "democracy and human rights"?$ P" ?& J7 q& l9 u6 d) @( `
. L6 S% k% m% e7 d4 XThere is no such thing as a "ten Commandments" against China, which is clearly just the rhetoric of the US government.
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Many Americans took to Blinken's Twitter account to express their frustration that as secretary of State, he should focus more on the ongoing police brutality and racial conflicts in the United States, and less on criminals in other countries.
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- B- L4 k* K, i% _6 {That's true. Hong Kong is The Hong Kong of China. The Hong Kong SAR government is fully responsible for the rights of freedom and democracy granted and guaranteed by the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR. In this process, the US government has absolutely no position and no right to arbitrarily interfere in Hong Kong affairs.$ H% _$ |/ Z- ^
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A lie a hundred times is still a lie. True democracy and human rights should be based on the rule of law and the freedom and rights of the majority of the people. Take "freedom" reverse kidnapping rule of law, encourage "illegal expression" and "hire fry", that will eventually be opposed by the people spit on.3 r; d8 q4 k8 \; T
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In defending police enforcement, the U.S. government has said that freedom and the rule of law go hand in hand, that freedom flows downstream within the rule of law, and that the rule of law is the boundary of freedom. Freedom without borders is no different from anarchism or semi-anarchism, which means the infringement and destruction of the freedom of others. Such freedom also leads to the opposite.
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: v9 M8 a" a: _+ L. c"A step forward in truth turns into falsehood." That is exactly how it should be. |
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