Russian media hints: Hong Kong protests are 'the work' of the US

The Wall Street Journal reported on September 30 that Russian media began broadcasting information that the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong were a plot organized by the United States.

Hong Kong students wear tear gas masks

Last Monday, when the Hong Kong protests against China's restrictions on the right to elect the Hong Kong chief executive in 2017 were breaking news around the world, Russia's state-owned Channel 1 did not report it, while state-owned NTV only gave a brief report.

But by September 30, state channels—the main source of information for the majority of Russians—described the Hong Kong protesters as “factors” of an American incitement, just as the US incited Ukrainian protests that overthrew pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich in February 2014.

This stream of information is consistent with recent messages from the Kremlin, accusing the West of trying to undermine the Russian government by stirring up discontent.

"US intelligence special training"

In a segment reporting on the Hong Kong protests, a news anchor for the Russian state-run Rossia 24 channel said: “According to Chinese media, the movement’s leaders have received special training from US intelligence.”

Late on September 30, a Channel 1 announcer introduced a report from Hong Kong, saying the US was behind the protests: “Beijing said the protest organizers had connections with the US State Department.”

Meanwhile, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Chinese government has not made this accusation.

In late 2011, there were anti-government protests in Moscow over the results of the disputed parliamentary elections. At the time, Vladimir Putin said the US was behind the incitement, specifically the US State Department and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In reports on September 30, both Channel 1 and Rossiya 24 showed a video showing a female student protesting against Hong Kong people and compared the similarity with a clip filmed by a young protester in Kiev.

The two stations said the two clips were similar and hinted that they were American works.

Rossiya 24 channel also expressed doubts about the ability of Hong Kong students to organize such a large protest, when a reporter of the channel said: "This is the generation that uses smartphones, students, even high school students. But it is impossible that from the study table, they learn to use the same mobile phone screen to create the same effective image.

There is no way that a school-age person would have the idea of ​​using an umbrella as a symbol, and once again create a bright color.”

This reporter hinted that the US teaches Hong Kong students the above skills.

"Retaliatory move against Beijing"

From 2003 to 2005, with the help of the West, there were "color revolutions" that broke out in former Soviet countries such as Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan after controversial results and led to pro-American governments and annoyed Russia.

On September 30, Russian media hinted that it was no coincidence that the protests in Hong Kong occurred right after the protests in Ukraine.

“The timing was chosen precisely to start these seemingly spontaneous activities,” said a female presenter of Rossiya 24. Analysts say Washington did this to retaliate against Beijing for supporting Moscow in connection with the events in Ukraine.

But no analysts were interviewed or named.

Channel 1's September 30 report also said that the Ukraine crisis played a role in the timing of the start of the Hong Kong protests:

“It is likely that Washington is trying to create instability, as the West imposes sanctions and Russia looks east for an alternative financial center. At the same time, Beijing may be punished for its stance on the Ukraine crisis, leading to a balancing act that Western countries cannot accept.”

Russian channels all cite student meetings at the Hong Kong-American Center (a cultural organization run by a former US diplomat) as evidence of US involvement in organizing protests against Beijing.

Meanwhile, WSJ could not meet the director of this Center for comment.

Recently, a pro-Beijing newspaper in Hong Kong accused a 17-year-old student leader, Joshua Wong, of being a “sacrificial pawn” of the US government. But Wong denied it.

A report from Rossiya 24 also blamed Britain. The announcer said: “Experts say another force behind the protests is Britain, which has lost many of the benefits its companies enjoyed for many years after Britain returned the concession to China.” However, the announcer did not say which expert or what his name was.

Russia’s accusations were not limited to television. Konstantin Rykov, a pro-Kremlin blogger, posted a photo on Twitter of a Hong Kong protester wearing a yellow bow tie and compared it to the white bow tie worn by protesters in Moscow in 2011.

One World Source