Desecration of national flag condemned

The central government lambasted严责；鞭打 radical protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday for blatantly公然地；喧闹地 trampling on the national dignity and the principle of "one country, two systems".

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council made the remarks in response to an illegal assembly on Saturday in which some radical protesters removed the national flag from a flagpole near Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier and tossed it into the harbor.

Their act constitutes a violation of the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance 徽章条例 in Hong Kong, and a blatant affront to the national dignity and the principle of "one country, two systems", the spokesperson said.

It also hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, including the people of Hong Kong, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson of the Liaison 联络Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said it was the second time the nation's dignity was trampled by radical protesters who besieged 包围，困扰the liaison office building and defaced损伤……的外貌 the national emblem on July 21.

Such lawlessness must not be allowed and offenders must be brought to justice in accordance with the law, the spokesperson said, reiterating the central government's support for the SAR government and police to strictly enforce the law to punish lawbreakers and restore order.

（SAR 特别行政区（Special Administrative Region））

Strong criticism poured in from various sectors of Hong Kong after a weekend of violence rocked the city, paralyzing使...瘫痪，使...麻痹 traffic and disrupting business in many areas.

The SAR government, in a statement issued at around 6 pm on Sunday, said Hong Kong will descend to a dangerous tipping point  临界点；引爆点 if such blatant lawlessness and violence, which is beyond freedom of expression, were condoned.

Hong Kong saw two very different crowds on Saturday afternoon. One was made up of 90,000 people who assembled peacefully in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.

Observers called the peaceful, positive rally, the third of its type since mid-June, the silent majority's answer to the radicalism and violence mounted by protesters who have repeatedly thrown the city into chaos. Two earlier rallies saw about 480,000 people voicing their shared aspirations of restoring peace and harmony to the city.

The damp lawns of Victoria Park  维多利亚公园潮湿的草坪 were packed with participants. At one point in the public rally, youngsters took the stage to remove their masks to reveal their identities in stark  完全的；荒凉的；刻板的；光秃秃的；朴实的contrast to masked radicals.

Emma Chan Ming-kwan took her 13-year-old son to the rally in hopes of teaching him "to tell right from wrong".

"Biased school education and media reports have failed to warn youngsters about the consequences of violence," she said.

A 46-year-old Hong Kong resident of Italian origin who gave his name as Renato said he attended to support Hong Kong police and the SAR government because he doesn't agree with the behavior of unlawful protesters.

At about the same time in the Kowloon Peninsula九龙半岛, one of the city's busiest business districts was almost completely paralyzed as thousands of protesters against a now-suspended extradition amendment bill 现已暂停的引渡修正案草案 ignored police warnings and blocked major roads, occupying a critical cross-harbor tunnel twice.

On Sunday, radicals spread the violence and vandalism 肆意破坏 to Tseung Kwan O 将军澳 in East New Territories 新界东 and the western and central part of Hong Kong Island. In Causeway Bay铜锣湾 , two police vehicles were set upon袭击 by masked protesters who attempted to blind officers with flashlights and laser pens. Some protesters vandalized Golden Bauhinia Square, where the flag-raising ceremony is held every day, in Wan Chai.

A total of 29 people were arrested on offenses including unlawful assembly and assault, according to the latest figure given by police.

"Violent protesters who breached the law should also be brought to justice," a government spokesperson said. 

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lambaste
blatant
trample
 toss
 emblem
 ordinance
 liaison
 besiege
 deface
 reiterate
 paralyze
 rally 召集；集合
 assembly  装配；议会；集合
damp lawn
 stark 荒凉的
 extradition
 amendment
 vandalism 故意毁坏(公共)财产的行为
 assault
 breach