Rioters lose support as violence escalates

Hong Kong rioters' actions have claimed a life.

On Nov 13, masked rioters threw a hard object at a 70-year-old man, hitting him on his head when he and about 20 others were trying to clear debris amid the chaos.

In a statement the next day, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said the man had "sustained a serious injury and was in a critical condition". On Nov 15, he is said to have died in hospital.

In August, the rioters illegally detained Fu Guohao, a journalist from the Chinese mainland; on Nov 11, they poured flammable liquid over a local resident and set him ablaze.

As violence escalates in Hong Kong, a few Western media organizations, which had so far backed the radical protesters, have expectedly become cautious in voicing their views.

On Nov 13, a BBC report, headlined "Violent Protests", showed rioters fighting the police with gasoline bombs, bows and arrows at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The report showed the photograph of a rioter firing a flaming arrow from a huge bow.

On Nov 11, The New York Times reported that "one man was doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire after he scolded protesters". Some felt the newspaper had not taken such a stand before.