This does not happen in China or Russia.
but mostly to act it out as performance art because people have been marching for decades now and yet here we are. The US is the only country that kind of lives in a permanent television version of itself, with people setting trashcans on fire for justice or throwing a window in, while a few dozen journalists capture some very authentic images[1]
People in Russia or China are realistic enough to know that this is in itself nothing but entertainment. The US is in a sense the most advanced security state on the planet, because pretty much nobody else has manged to internalize its own opposition to that degree.
I don’t know how systematic police murder and beating up peaceful protestors looks different to you when it happens in the US and when it happens elsewhere.
What is it about the anthem or flag that makes you see it differently?
Look at Hong Kong protests, then look at police beating people in cities across the US it’s the same.
What are the concessions from the US government? A few minor police reforms to encourage cops to stop killing minorities on camera, qualified immunity is still here, so basically nothing.
At least China and Russia consider healthcare a human right like any developed country. The US health care system is depraved.
> What are the concessions from the US government? A few minor police reforms to encourage cops to stop killing minorities on camera, qualified immunity is still here, so basically nothing.
US’s reaction is hugely different than HK’s.
Not a single HK cop was actually penalized, let alone fired or charged, for their misconducts during the year long protests. The only HK cop that was charged was the one who posted posters criticizing the police force. [1]
By contrast, numerous US cops were fired and charged. Not to mention two weeks before George Floyd was killed, a South Asian was also killed by HK cops by kneeing on his neck. [2] The victim’s name wasn’t made public, not a single HK cop was penalized, and they went on to keep doing the same to HK protesters a month later (no casualty this time) [3].
Disbanding the HK police is one of the core demands of Hong Kong protesters [4]. While US has made some police reforms, nothing like this happened in Hong Kong, except HK police just got more powerful under the new National Security Law.
And you tell me US is the same as HK?
[1] http://www.rfi.fr/tw/%E6%94%BF%E6%B2%BB/20200118-%E4%BC%91%E... (in Chinese)
[2] https://www.hk01.com/%E7%AA%81%E7%99%BC/471390/%E9%9D%9E%E8%... (in Chinese)
[3] https://hongkongfp.com/2020/06/15/i-couldnt-breathe-hong-kon...
[4] https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/2925727 (in Chinese)
Doing the bare minimum is just PR, eg: cops kneeling with protestors and then an hour later using chemical weapons and beating on the same peaceful protestors.
If the distinction is: China addresses challenges to oppression with censorship while the US addresses it with marketing and ineffectual “concessions” then we’re saying the same thing.
You are comparing what happened in one city against what happened across the entire country. Look at the actions of the NYPD during these protests. They have also received virtually no punishment despite their range of heinous acts.
An occasional incident nationwide that drives up enough outrage to force a punishment doesn't grant us some moral high ground.
Now I just focus on NYPD: NYPD charged an officer for using a chokehold. [1]
No officer was charged in HK after the year long protests for their misconducts and brutality.
Side note: Numerous HK protesters were also victims of sexual harassment or sexual violence during arrest or detention. A 19-year-old girl was gangraped by police officers in a police station and got pregnant, and the police threatened to arrest her for “making false statements”. She defended her claims and had to flee to Taiwan. [2][3]
Any similar incident in NYC?
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/nyregion/nypd-officer-cho...
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ3-OZaEcCA
[3] https://hongkongfp.com/2020/05/13/hong-kong-woman-who-accuse...
Yes
https://theintercept.com/2019/08/30/nypd-anna-chambers-rape-...
Anna Chambers wasn’t threatened with the being arrested for “making false statements” and can still live in New York. The Hong Kong victim (who got pregnant and had to undergo an abortion) had to flee to Taiwan for her own safety.
US cops commit a crime and get away with minimal punishment. HK cops commit a crime and the victims get arrested.
Another example: the boy shot by live rounds by the cop in this video [1] was charged for attempted robbery and obstructing the police [2], even though the event was triggered by poor policing according to an experienced Australian officer [3].
See the difference?
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm_s0fm4hH0
[2] https://www.thestandnews.com/society/%E8%A5%BF%E7%81%A3%E6%B... (in Chinese)
[3] https://twitter.com/JeromeTaylor/status/1194074222768771072
Anna Chambers may not have been threatened with arrest, but her name was dragged through the mud by the tabloids, and is likely still at risk from police retribution.
The two are not identical, but the differences do not give any moral high ground to the US.
US cops committing a crime and arresting the victim is also commonplace. Search for any instance of planting evidence or any of a score of incidents from these protests.
Threat of arrest from Police Chief and repeated bogus charges from Department of Justice to defend police crimes mean a totally broken system. That’s another level.
> Both of Schoolcraft's claims were settled in 2015, with him receiving $600,000 for the NYPD portion of the lawsuit
At least US has a healthy justice system as the last line of defense.
The HK justice system is compromised. There is an injunction that forbids anyone to reveal police officers and their family members’ information, in the name of fighting against doxxing. For some time, the media couldn’t reveal the name of any cops, even if they were being investigated for their own crime and appear in court (now allowed). [0]
The drug trafficking charge against the daughter of a cop was recently dismissed by the Department of Justice, as if qualified immunity extends to cop’s family members. [1]
The justice system was eroded further by the National Security law. A pro-Beijing legislator recently claimed that media may violate the law by covering police brutality. [2]
Even before the law was passed, two journalists were charged for “rioting” and may face 10-year imprisonment for covering protestors’ storming of the Legislative Council last year. [3]
Until US has a similarly broken justice system that goes after the media to hide police brutality, it can never match HK.
[0] https://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/03_police_message/iio_1957....
[1] https://news.mingpao.com/ins/%E6%B8%AF%E8%81%9E/article/2020... (in Chinese)
[2] https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20200702/T4XFP6NPMN6FYXZMNJZ... (in Chinese, paywalled)
[3] https://news.mingpao.com/ins/%E6%B8%AF%E8%81%9E/article/2020... (in Chinese)