Beautiful sight: China's internet is enjoying US Capitol mayhem
Internet users in China erupted in laughter and sarcasm while reacting to Wednesday's riots at the United States Capitol, giving another proof of the deep discord between the two powerful nations. Global Times, a tabloid having the support of the Chinese Communist Party, tweeted photos of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and Washington's incident to poke fun at the US and its leaders.
One picture posted by Global Times showed a violent Hong Kong street and a protester sitting inside the US Capitol. The Hong Kong picture carried the text "A beautiful sight to behold" while the US one read "Seat Occupied." Another picture drew attention to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's contrasting statements — he supported the uprising in Hong Kong and slammed Washington's bedlam.
The tabloid also shed light on how Washington responds when another nation is concerned. A picture from Hong Kong had the text, "The people of HK are sending a stirring message to the world," and the one from Capitol read, "This is not a protest, it's insurrection." Referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 2019 remark, Global Times reminded she called Hong Kong protests "a beautiful sight to behold."
.@SpeakerPelosi once referred to the Hong Kong riots as "a beautiful sight to behold" — it remains yet to be seen whether she will say the same about the recent developments in Capitol Hill. pic.twitter.com/91iXDzYpcO
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 7, 2021
On Weibo, a Twitter-like platform, users berated the world leaders for condemning the mayhem in the US but not sharing the same opinion about Hong Kong protests. "At present, all European countries' leaders have shown double standards and condemned it (Washington rioting)," read one Weibo comment, which raked over 5,000 likes, reports AFP. Separately, China's Communist Youth League called the chaos a "beautiful sight."
Another person said whatever happened in the Hong Kong Legislative Council in 2019 was being repeated in the US. This observation garnered over 4,500 likes. While internet users drew similarities between Hong Kong and Washington, it's pertinent to highlight that protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese city have been happening for years now in a bid to free it from Beijing's clutches and establish democracy.
The unprecedented scenes in Capitol, obviously, put the US to shame, sparking sharp reactions from allies like France, Canada, India, etc., and adversaries like Turkey. A pro-Trump mob ransacked the iconic building just as a ceremonial Congress session to formally declare President-elect Joe Biden's win was underway. In the violence, four people lost their lives, and over 50 were arrested.
