HK anti-tourist protest good for no one

Chinese mainland tourists are in the news again. But unlike the past when web postings went viral about their uncivil behaviors in France and Egypt, the latest headlines revolve around Hong Kong residents' protest against visitors from the mainland.

On Feb 16, about 100 Hong Kong residents marched from the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry pier to Canton Road, a shopping street heavily frequented by tourists, including those from the mainland. The protesters referred to the tourists as "locusts" devouring Hong Kong's resources, calling the mainland visitors "shina", a derogatory term used by the Japanese to describe Chinese people after the 1895 Sino-Japanese War.

Several Hong Kong officials have condemned the protest against mainland tourists. On Feb 20, Equal Opportunities Commission Chairman York Chow Yat-ngok said it was possible to amend Hong Kong's race hate laws to cover discrimination against members of the same ethnic group. And Hong Kong's Security Secretary Lai Tun-Kwok said: "Tourists were not only disturbed and frightened, they also felt insulted."