(Bloomberg) -- China accused Hong Kong’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, of encouraging crime with comments days ago saying the city’s authorities should “have mercy” in responding to unrest that has rocked the Asian financial hub for months.
The Communist Party’s top law enforcement body, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, said Thursday that all people should be equal before the law. In an article posted on its WeChat account, it noted that some protesters had attacked police and citizens, set fires and participated in illegal assemblies.
“When you require to have mercy on those people, you are encouraging crime,” the article said. “This is not thinking for Hong Kong, but watching Hong Kong slide into the abyss.”
The 91-year-old Li, whose conglomerate is among Hong Kong’s biggest, called Sunday for reconciliation between the government and protesters as another weekend of demonstrations turned violent.
“We hope young people can consider the big picture, and government leaders can also have mercy on the masters of our future,” he said during an event at Tsz Shan Monastery, a Buddhist temple he helped finance.
In a statement on Friday, Li said through a spokesman that he regretted his earlier comments were misunderstood and has grown accustomed to “unfounded accusations.”
Li will not accept any violence or behaviors that challenge the law, and he hopes all parties to find room for conversation instead of instigating conflicts, his spokesman said.
Small pockets of demonstrators on Sunday set fires, vandalized subway stations and set up barricades downtown after tens of thousands marched peacefully to the U.S. consulate. In newspaper advertisements last month, Li called for an end to the violence in a poetic message that some interpreted as calling for those in power to stop persecution, while others said it meant to urge protesters to stop disrupting the city.
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