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For two decades, media boss & ace China-hater Jimmy “Fatman” Lai was chief agent & funds-funnel for the Anglo-US Empire and its anti-Beijing forces in Hong Kong.

On the fourth day of his trial today, he pleaded not guilty to two charges of collusion with foreign forces and one count of sedition under the local National Security Law.

Throughout the West, Lai has been systematically puffed up as a Hero of Democracy and Fighter for Press Freedom. But among his own people in Hong Kong and mainland China, he is something entirely different: the hanjian (traitor) of his era.

Here is an appraisal you’d never see in Western media. It’s by Hong Kong-based journalistic stalwart L.P. Yau, my friend and successor as chief editor at Yazhou Zhoukan ????, the leading international Chinese-language newsweekly. Translation by yours truly.




THE TOXIC LEGACY OF JIMMY LAI & CO.

Former Apple Daily boss Jimmy Lai is charged with violating the National Security Law and has gone on trial in Hong Kong, attracting the attention of international political circles. He was widely hailed by Western media as a touchstone of freedom of speech in Hong Kong. The West believes that if he were convicted, it would mean the death of media freedom in Hong Kong.

Since the case is still in the judicial process, the details need to be investigated in depth. However, if we look at the history of Apple Daily and Jimmy Lai, it actually highlights the tragedy of media liberty being grossly abused. If his conviction is linked to press freedom, it exactly reflects the pride & prejudice of the Western mainstream media, which are full of double standards, mislead the people, and conceal the true history.

Most people in Hong Kong already know that Apple Daily was no longer a media organization during the 2019 Black Terror riots, but an outright political mobilization machine, inciting a color revolution. It not only stirred the crowds to destroy the Legislative Council, but also helped turn the Chinese University and Polytechnic University into hotbeds of violent revolution. Moreover, it glorified those who engaged in violent destruction as freedom fighters and pioneers of democracy.

But what is even more shocking is that this newspaper that claims to pursue justice and truth has also been involved in creating many lies. They include the killing by police of dozens of people at Prince Edward MTR Station, a gang rape by police at San Uk Ling Police Detention Center, and the slaying by police of university student Zhou Zile. These accusations have been proven completely false — rumors fabricated by the oppositionist “yellow-silk” forces to damage the image of the police force and incite the public against the “black police.” Their hidden motive was to destroy the city of Hong Kong. Having paralyzed it, they even called on the US military to land in Hong Kong and take over, completing the color revolution.

If their rumormongering and calls to overthrow the government are press freedom, then Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the American right-wing Proud Boys group, should not have been convicted of sedition and insurrection for his speeches urging the crowd three years ago to attack the US Capitol and sentenced to 22 years’ jail. The remarks of Apple Daily at that time exceeded the norms of news media in any society and became the mobilization vanguard of rebellion to overthrow Hong Kong’s government.

In fact, under today’s National Security Law, different opposition voices are still highly tolerated. There is no danger of their becoming a single voice. The front page of the Oriental Daily, Hong Kong’s largest newspaper, criticizes local governance almost every day, while the news website Hong Kong Free Press severely lambastes the Beijing and Hong Kong governments. Even Falungong newspapers and periodicals can still appear on some newsstands. But what Apple Daily did back then was not just demonize everything about the Hong Kong government, but also encourage citizens to take to the streets to cause destruction. And it repeatedly spread false rumors to discredit the disciplinary forces and make Hong Kong’s public authorities lose credibility.

Only with the promulgation of the National Security Law was the chaos brought to an end, violence eradicated, and the crisis of Hong Kong’s disintegration resolved. Looking back, the people of Hong Kong will never forget how precarious the situation was. Fortunately, the local government was able to turn the tide and reverse the crisis of social dissolution.

As Jimmy Lai’s trial unfolds, there are still many voices on the internet supporting him. They feign historical amnesia and continue to dress him up as a “fighter for press freedom.” They seem oblivious that, under US and UK standards, what Lai did would be considered outright acts of rebellion. His support from Washington and London is not only due to double standards, but also a hidden agenda with ulterior motives. They wish to continue demonizing Hong Kong and weaken its development under One Country, Two Systems.

In fact, the Biden administration happened at this critical moment to sign the National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress. It regards mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and other places as “hostile forces,” putting them on par with Cuba, North Korea and Iran. This has put pressure on Hong Kong’s international status and restricted its economic scope for action.

The “yellow forces” that promote Jimmy Lai on the internet turn a blind eye to the violent incidents of the Black Terror; they regard the thugs who burned tunnels and smashed traffic lights as “freedom fighters.” They are all “Jimmy Lais” who dare to lie openly, “use any & all means to pursue their ends,” and fabricate tall tales to confuse the people.

But history cannot be confused, and Hong Kong people have sharp eyes. We will never forget why shopping malls were burned down one after another, why the Legislative Council was smashed, or how the San Uk Ling police gang rape and the police mass-murder case at Prince Edward Station were proven to be all-out lies. All were conclusively reported at the time by Apple Daily. But did the paper ever correct its mistakes? Has Lai apologized for these false reports?

The Jimmy Lai case is allowing Hong Kong people to relive the days when rumors were flying everywhere and to understand how press freedom was trampled on and civil liberties were abused. It also shines a spotlight on how the international media were misled, how the U.S. intelligence agencies were deeply involved, and how local young people were exploited. Today, “Jimmy Lai & Co.” are still working behind the scenes to lionize Jimmy Lai.

The 22-year prison sentence for the leader of the Capitol Hill incident in the United States makes an excellent point of reference. It is a bash on the head for the “yellow forces” of Hong Kong.

https://www.yzzk.com/article/details...A6%8D%E5%AE%B3

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