China goes online to mock ‘beautiful sight’ of US Capitol chaos

A demonstrator unleashing a smoke grenade in front of the US Capitol building during a protest in Washington, D.C., on Jan 6, 2021. Chinese netizens delighted in the irony as pro-Trump supporters rioted through Washington, comparing the chaos to scenes of Hong Kong protestors occupying the city’s Legislative Council Complex in July 2019. — Bloomberg

BEIJING: China’s Internet erupted in mirth at America’s troubled democracy after supporters of President Donald Trump broke into the US Capitol, with Beijing criticising the “sharp contrast” between Washington’s response to the chaos and the 2019 Hong Kong anti-government protests.

On Thursday morning, state media tabloid Global Times tweeted side-by-side photo comparisons of Hong Kong protesters occupying the city’s Legislative Council Complex in July 2019 with Wednesday’s Washington riots.