Protesters are held down during a night of clashes between protesters and Detroit Police Officers, violence returned to downtown Detroit as police made dozens of arrests and fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters on Saturday in Detroit, Michigan. The ongoing protests in Detroit come as a nationwide movement to protest the death of 46 year-old George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo: AFP

Police in Louisville, Kentucky, said on Monday that when they were trying to disperse a crowd of protesters, they returned fired after being fired at. One man was shot dead. As we all know, no violent protesters were killed on the spot during riots that have engulfed Hong Kong since summer of 2019. But demonstrator has been killed only one week after the unrest began in the US. 

It was also reported on Monday that US President Donald Trump during a conference accused the country's governors of being "weak" in the face of protesters. "You've got to arrest people, you have to try people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years, then you'll never see this stuff again," he said. "And you have to let them know that."

More shockingly, US senator Tom Cotton called protesters "Antifa terrorists" and threatened to use the 101st Airborne, to deal with them. Cotton wrote on Twitter Monday that, "if necessary, the 10th Mountain, 82nd Airborne, 1st Cav, 3rd Infantry — whatever it takes to restore order." He also said law enforcement should give "no quarter" to "insurrectionists, anarchists, rioters, and looters."

How ruthless these US politicians are! They talk about humanity, justice, and morality all the time. They condemned Hong Kong police simply for the latter's use of tear gas and water cannon against violent rioters. The US unrest just began a few days ago, but police already fired shots at protesters before efforts for peaceful dialogue were even made. Many National Guard members have been deployed in the US. President Trump is urging state governors to be tough and senators are pushing for the use of the US military. Is this the real face of "the beacon of world democracy?"

Where are the human rights? Where is their respect for life? The US politicians show zero tolerance to unrest, but they launched countless attacks on other countries' efforts to safeguard the rule of law. They talk as if they stand on the moral high ground. But what they say is empty and hypocritical. When riot breaks out in the US, they want to use all means necessary, and cannot stand the loss of order for even one more day. What they are facing are merely unorganized protesters. If this was organized subversion, what would they do? Will they drop an atomic bomb?  

The US has the largest number of COVID-19 infections and now it's plagued by spreading unrest. The Chinese people should have a better understanding of this "beacon of world democracy."

The author is editor-in-chief of the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn