The illusion of a peaceful "Occupy" movement was shattered by the Mongkok riot recently. Many in Hong Kong were always strongly opposed to the "Occupy" movement for fears that it would not be peaceful.

The reason is simple: Even if some of the occupiers genuinely intended to stage a peaceful protest, once a precedent is set for legitimatizing illegal and even criminal activities on the pretext of "civil disobedience" some people will further twist and distort this flawed logic. In the end, some of the participants will become radicalized and use the pretense of "civil disobedience" to mask the true violent nature of their actions.

From video footage of the riot shown on various television news channels and media outlets, everyone could see what happened that night. An aggressive mob attacked police officers with bricks removed from the pavement and started fires on the streets. As the commissioner of police noted, throwing bricks at people can be fatal.