Anything less than full support from Northern Ireland’s leaders for Hong Kong against Chinese repression would be a betrayal of its brave people

It is no exaggeration to say that Britain was a freer society in 1737 when the News Letter was founded than China now.

After restoration of limited monarchy in 1660, Parliament constrained the king. There was already a limited franchise by the mid 1700s, which expanded greatly in the latter part of that century and in the early 1800s.

In the earliest News Letters you already see the declining power of the aristocracy and the rising power of a free press.

Yet, now, almost 300 years after Europe was developing and enshrining such basic freedoms, China has none of them.

Beijing oppresses Uighur and Christian minorities and denies basic rights to all its citizens. Something as elementary in the West as voting to choose your political leaders is unthinkable, as is a free media or web.

China is not the world’s most brutal dictatorship but is the largest and richest one — a global stain on 21st century values.

You cannot criticise, or find out, what the government does.

The 1989 Tiananmen massacre of hundreds of students at reform protests cannot even be commemorated, because it has been erased from history.

The country is also increasingly aggressive militarily outside of its borders.

Lately, Beijing has both been secretive about the origins of the Covid outbreak within its territory, and has used the pandemic to tighten its grip on Hong Kong.

Anyone who has read or watched the news in recent years knows the threat to its western freedoms was a scandal even before the national security law.

Irish nationalists cite British misconduct over the centuries, but the fair minded among them will accept that China is repressive in ways Britain has never been. Irish republicans campaign against Israel. Why not against communist China?

Unionists ought to be horrified that British-installed democracy in Hong Kong is being dismantled.

Northern Ireland’s two communities should easily be able to agree on Hong Kong.

Beijing will do what it wants, regardless of Stormont, but our joint leaders would be betraying Hong Kong if they gave China even the vaguest sense that what they are doing in the city is OK.

After reports that Michelle O’Neill and Arlene Foster did at least that, Ms O’Neill put out a feeble tweet about supporting China’s ‘two systems’ yesterday but did not address how Beijing is tearing that up that understanding.

Mrs Foster said she backs the UK stance on Hong Kong, which is welcome.

But this newspaper gave both leaders a chance to go further in their denunciation of what is happening, yet they declined that opportunity.

• Northern Ireland’s leaders decline to condemn Hong Kong law after China claims they respect it

• Hong Kong democracy supporters buy newspaper to support it after police raid

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor