Ta Kung Pao May 31, 1967
The British Imperialists Are Playing With Fire
For several days running. the British authorities in Hongkong have been turn- ing out a large number of policemen and special agents and recklessly carry- ing out bloody suppression and persecu- tion of patriotic Chinese residents in Hongkong. Many more patriotic Chinese in Hongkong and Kowloon have been illegally arrested, put on secret trial, severely beaten and unwarrantedly sen- tenced to imprisonment. The number of dead and injured and those arrested and missing runs into thousands. On the 22nd, the British authorities in Hongkong again sent out an army of police and 'riot police' and created a new sanguin- ary incident in which several hundred Chinese residents and members of the staffs of our institutions in Hongkong were injured and unreasonably imprison- ed. Hongkong has become a land of
terror.
The bloody May 22nd incident, like those of 'May 6th' and 'May 11th, was carefully planned and deliberately created by the British imperialists. On May 7th. disregarding the solemn protest lodged by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Commonwealth Relations Office in Britain issued a statement openly sup- porting the British authorities in Hong- kong in their bloody suppression of Chi- nese residents and encouraging them in their reckless course. On May 19th, at a meeting with the Chinese Charge d'Affaires ad interim in Britain, the Bri- tish Foreign Secretary George Brown blatantly uttered a torrent of abuse and viciously slandered the just action of the Chinese people in voicing support for their patriotic countrymen in Hongkong and Kowloon. Moreover, on May 21st, the British Government sent high-ranking officials out to Hongkong to hatch fur- ther criminal plots to suppress Chinese workers and residents. The bloody 'May 22nd' incident was created against such a background. The British Government and the British authorities in Hongkong will never succeed in denying this.
The savage persecution of Chinese re- sidents by the British authorities in Hongkong is an out-and-out fascist out- rage. However, the British imperialists have stubbornly refused to admit their crimes. As soon as he heard the words 'Fascist outrage', the British Foreign Se- cretary George Brown, touched on the raw, gave vent to a hysterical outburst. We ask Brown: What are you making such a fuss about? You turned out thou- sands of police and 'riot police' and used helicopters and tear-gas bombs to suppress completely unarmed Chinese re- sidents. What is this if not a fascist outrage? On the main thoroughfares and in the side-streets, you severely man- handled and arrested Chinese workers, students, journalists and even young teenagers. What is this if not a fascist outrage? You sent out a large number of plainclothesmen and special agents, illegally kidnapped patriotic Chinese re- sidents, tried them secretly and savagely beat them up. What is all this if not an out-and-out fascist outrage?
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Furthermore, Brown had the audacity to lodge a 'protest' with the Chinese peo- ple against their just action of con- demning the fascist atrocities of the Bri tish authorities in Hongkong. Hold your tongue! Instead of hanging your head and admitting your guilt after killing, ar- resting, illegally trying and cruelly per- secuting Chinese residents in Hongkong,. you made counter-charges. You have in 'deed over-reached yourselves! Today, in the 1960s, are you still dreaming of the good old days of the Opium War?'
In all seriousness it must be pointed out that the British Government is now playing with fire in Hongkong. After our Foreign Ministry issued a statement of protest on May 15th against the per-
secution of our patriotic compatriots by the British authorities in Hongkong, the
· British Government, far from accepting our government's solemn and just de- mands, has deliberately aggravated the situation and gone still further in direct- ing the British authorities in Hongkong .to intensify their suppression and per- -secution of our patriotic countrymen. This shows that the British Government is die-hard, stubbornly hostile to our four million compatriots in Hongkong and the 700 million Chinese people.
Blood debts must be repaid. Is the debt of blood, accumulated over more than a century, which British imperial- ism owes the Chinese people, a small one? The Chinese people have all en- mity, both new and old, engraved in their minds. The day will come when British imperialism is called on to repay its debt in full.
The Chinese people have carried on struggle against British imperialism for over a century, and long ago became well acquainted with the paper-tiger na. ture of this decadent imperialist power of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, being fierce of visage but faint of heart. On the eve of the victory of the Chinese people's revolution, when our heroic troops were crossing the great Yangtze River in their millions, British imperialism jumped in our way like a grass-hopper trying to stop a speeding At the time we gave this old-style imperialism a lesson, a small one but well-deserved. Today, when the tide of the great proletarian cultural revolution in China is surging forward, and the 700 million Chinese people are arming them- selves still further with Mao Tse-tung's thought and advancing rapidly along the road of revolution, this old-style im- perialism is once again playing with fire, making repeated provocations against the Chinese people. In this, it is only knock- ing its head against a brick wall!
car.
Our compatriots in Hongkong and Kowloon possess a glorious rich tradition of revolutionary struggle. The great general strike of 1925 in Hongkong shook British imperialism which was then quite arrogant. Today under the leadership of our great leader Chairman Mao and the Chinese communist party, we Chinese people have stood up like a giant. Under the guidance of the invincible thought of Mao Tse-tung, our compatriots in Hongkong and Kowloon
-People's Daily Commentator
are carrying on a tremendous struggle against persecution, in the face of the British authorities' barbarous fascist ac- trocities. They are writing a brilliant new chapter in the epic of the Chinese nation's struggle against imperialism,
Chairman Mao teaches us: 'It is im- possible to persuade the imperialists and the Chinese reactionaries to show kind- ness of heart and turn from their evil ways. The only course is to organise The forces and struggle against them.' absurd die-hard attitude of British im- perialism once again serves as a proof of this truth. Now, our compatriots in Hongkong have raised their political consciousness as never before. They have further organised themselves and have formed 'the committee of Hong- kong-Kowloon compatriots of all circles to fight against persecution by the Bri- tish authorities
Our in Hongkong*. heroic patriotic countrymen in Hong- kong have solemnly declared their deter-
(Continued from page 1) revolutionary thunder of the people roared, while imperialism was breathing its last. By resorting to the 'gun-boat diplomacy' long been thrown on the rub- bish heap of history, British imperialism was courting disaster and would come to a miserable end, the commentator stated.
"The imperialists always miscalculate the situation', he continued. 'Proceeding from their reactionary stand, they can never understand the great strength of the revolutionary people. As our great leader Chairman Mao says: "We have personally seen many counter-revolution- aries, the Ching dynasty government, Northern warlords, Japanese militarism, Mussolini, Hitler and Chiang Kai-shek, fall, one after another. They com- milted mistakes in their thinking and actions and it could not be otherwise. Every imperialism at present will also make such mistakes"."
That was how it was with British im- perialism, the commentator said. 18 years ago when the Chinese people's revolution was about to win victory throughout the country, wasn't it British imperialism which miscalculated the situation and sent warships into the Yangtze river to stage provocations against the Chinese people? The result was that they were dealt resolute blows by the Chinese peo-
mination to struggle against British im→ perialism until they win the victory. Under the guidance of the great thought of Mao Tse-tung, their just struggle will certainly be victorious.
The patriotic Chinese in Hongkong are our close kinsmen. The Chinese people absolutely cannot tolerate the British im- perialists' wild suppression and persecu- tion of them. We Chinese people-all 700 million of us-who are victoriously, carrying on the great proletarian cul- tural revolution, stand powerfully behind our patriotic Hongkong brothers. We sternly warn the British imperialists: you must unconditionally accept the five-point demand put forward by our Foreign Ministry and the four-point demand raised by our compatriots of all circles in Hongkong and Kowloon. If you per sist in your hostility towards the Chinese people you will come to no good end!
20 May, 1967.
ple and ran like thieves.
11 years ago, British imperialism again miscalculated the situation and used its 'gun-boat diplomacy' in the Middle East. It launched the Suez canal war of ag- gression and was badly beaten by the Egyptian people.
British imperialism, which had not learned even a bit of wisdom from the lessons of history, had now again mis- calculated the situation. It pinned its hope on wielding batons and butchers'. knives in Hongkong and anchoring war- ships into the sea off Hongkong to ob- literate the tremendous influence of China's great proletarian cultural revo- lution and the extensive spreading of the great thought of Mao Tse-tung. This is sheer day-dreaming', the commenta- tor stated.
As early as 1949, the Chinese people had risen like a giant. Now after 17 years of socialist revolution and social- ist construction, especially as a result of the present unprecedented great prole- tarian cultural revolution, the Chinese people were a hundred-fold stronger. In this circumstance, there are still some elements who persist in having a trial of the strength of the Chinese people. Of course, the Chinese people will never hold back their strength,' the commen- tator declared. ` 'Should British imperial. ism persist in acting arbitrarily, it reap as it sows'.
Ân ‘accusation meeting. Was held in a workshop of Central Textiles Co, to denounce the brutalities committed by the
"Hongkong police
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