But what happens?
That spectacle has inspired admiration and awe. But to anyone who has watched events in China and the world in recent years, the central emotion has to be dread....
It's hard to imagine President Xi Jinping tolerating unending turmoil or accepting the other demands. He is bound to see the unrest as a mortal danger to both China's system of government and its territorial sovereignty.
Letting the protesters win would weaken Beijing's control over its people by signaling that determined, mobilized citizens could defeat the government. Xi did not achieve the most powerful position in China in order to dismantle the system that put him there.
I hope for the best. But I fear for those protesters. One day the story of the day will be mass casualties and arrests and deportations to restore Chinese Communist Party control.
So far the local police seem mostly restrained and give warning of tear gas use. Although there are some signs of that restraint giving way. When the mainland security forces are used, that restraint will be gone.
The CCP got to its position of power on mountains of dead bodies and several hundred or thousand more won't spoil their morning tea.
One interesting detail of the protests in Hong Kong that Michael Yon is broadcasting is that the police usually have mixed in with their uniformed members personnel who are in regular clothes with the equipment and "police" vest over over that. Are those plain clothes officers or office staff or off-duty personnel called in hastily?
UPDATE: My "restraint" comment is a relative thing, when you consider that the police could be beating and shooting protesters if given the orders. I'm just wondering when those orders will be given.
