Fear and loathing — anti-mainlander sentiment in Hong Kong

As anti-government protests simmer in Hong Kong, some demonstrators are increasingly focusing their anger on mainland Chinese in the city, hurling abuse and, in some cases, beating them, according to Reuters via CNA:

More than one million mainland Chinese live and work in Hong Kong, according to official figures, many of them in the city’s bustling finance industry that serves as an entry point into China for global investors. Some of these mainlanders say they are looking to relocate while others say they dare not go out at the weekends, when the protests regularly escalate.

Put another way, “South Asians and Africans are no longer Hong Kong’s ‘ethnic other’ — now it’s the mainland Chinese,” according to Gordon Mathews, chair of the Department of Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

If you’re following the protests closely, you might want to sign up for new daily newsletter about the protests in Hong Kong from a resident American scholar: Rubber Bullets and Resistance. Today’s issue is: Joshua Wong and Carrie Lam, protest updates, and HK’s press rebels.

Other news from Hong Kong:

“The central government on Wednesday expressed support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) decision to disqualify Joshua Wong [黃之鋒 Huáng Zhīfēng], the leader of a political group advocating ‘Hong Kong independence,’ from the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election of the HKSAR,” according to Xinhua. As we noted yesterday, Wong is not actually advocating for independence.

“Masked protester or trick-or-treater? Hong Kong’s police may soon have to spot the difference to enforce a recent ban on face masks intended to end months of civil unrest,” says the South China Morning Post.

Halloween havoc: “Every weekend, office-goers and clubbers spill out of the Lan Kwai Fong bars on to the streets, even without the additional presence of protesters who have thrown petrol bombs at police, set fires and trashed buildings during five months of unrest,” reports Reuters.

“A charity fund of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing [李嘉诚 Lǐ Jiāchéng] will donate HK$200 million ($25.5 million) to help local small and medium restaurants,” reports Caixin.