The Guardian view on Hong Kong’s protests: the mood hardens | Editorial

The storming of the Legislative Council building may alienate ordinary residents, but reflects a growing sense of despair as Beijing tightens its grip

Five years ago, when Hong Kong residents flooded the streets to demand true democracy, the movement was named Occupy Central With Love and Peace. On Monday, as a group of protesters overran the region's legislature, a banner hung outside carried a harsher, more pessimistic message borrowed from the Hunger Games films: "If we burn, you burn with us."

Half a million had peacefully marched against the extradition bill that day. Even the splinter group who broke into the building, spray-painted slogans and hung the British colonial-era flag had their limits. They put up signs urging others not to damage antiques and left cash for drinks from the cafe. Force was directed at property rather than people. But the angry, destructive scenes nonetheless reflect a hardening of feeling.

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