China/Hong Kong: With one of the most violent weekends in Hong Kong yet, the Chinese government has maintained a statement of their army’s intervention being a last resort. This weekend, the first gunshot went off, 215 rounds of tear gas were used, and countless rubber bullets were fired. The gunshot was from a Hong Kong police officer, who shot into the air to warn protestors. This weekend alone, 86 people were arrested and the Hong Kong government is worried that there is no end in sight. The Chinese government was hoping that the fear of military intervention would be enough to cause the protests to die out, but since the start, they are only growing more violent.
Analyst Notes
The government has made it known that military interference is the last thing they want to do, but it is possible that with the continued escalation in protests, they will have no option but to go to their last resort. If the military does move into Hong Kong, there could be support on both sides that spills over into cyberspace.
