Is there any way back after Hong Kong’s ‘Bloody Sunday’?

August 11th 2019 may go down as Hong Kong’s ‘Bloody Sunday’ as police officers bludgeoned and bruised protesters who had taken to the streets. A young woman was hit in the eye by a rubber bullet. A man was pinned to the ground by police, pleading for mercy as his bloodied face was pushed into the concrete. A policeman shot pepper balls at youngsters from point blank range. Another officer pushed protesters off escalators. Videos also emerged of police officers disguised as protesters making arrests. And there were reports of triad gangsters left free to roam the city, beating up unsuspecting demonstrators.

Hong Kong’s protests started as protests about a single issue, amendments to the city’s extradition law. But ongoing protests reflect a deeper concern: the total collapse of trust in the government and the police force. Hong Kong’s ‘Bloody Sunday’ entrenches this deep rift. Yet still there is little sign that Hong Kong’s government, or its Chinese counterpart, is prepared to listen.