Editor's Note: Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. He writes on topics pertaining to China, the DPRK, Britain, and the United States. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. Hong Kong protests continued on Saturday for the 9th successive week. Demonstrators targeted the area of Mong Kok in the Kowloon district, creating a barricade that blocked a key transport tunnel and brought traffic to a standstill. Some activists proceeded to attack a local police station, grafting the exterior, throwing bricks at the building and setting fire to piles of trash outside. Once again, Western media outlets responded to the events with a narrative that favored the protesters. The leading headline on the BBC news website read "Hong Kong protests: Police fire tear gas at activists", stating that "Hong Kong police have fired tear gas at protesters who are demonstrating for the ninth weekend in a row." The choice of headline and emphasis is steered to articulate the assumption that the protesters are merely innocent victims, justified in their activities, who are subject to excessive brutality on behalf of authorities, whom only "act they way they do" because they represent "an authoritarian regime" wanting to suppress rebellion in the territory. Therefore, the demonstrators can do no wrong.

Whilst media bias in favor of the protesters is obviously not new, the strategies of these activists to gain such coverage need to be drawn attention to. Recognizing that the Western media are biased in their favor and in turn are looking to set a narrative of abusive authorities vs. righteous demonstrators, the demonstrators are looking to cause maximum disruption to targeted areas, knowing that the police will have to respond with force to restore public order, which is then used to claim they are being suppressed. First of all, why are international media outlets so biased in favor of Hong Kong protests? There are many reasons at play, but the situation should be understood primarily through the hegemony of the Western liberal thought that is by nature, self-righteous, certain and evangelistic. The legacies of Christianity and Greek philosophy effectively created a metaphysical notion of "universalism," that is a belief that their religion/ideology must apply to everyone, with every other value system being inferior and a product of human tyranny. Those who have it hold "the truth" and dwell in a state of self-assumed enlightenment. Those who do not are ignorant, wicked and backwards, a problem to be solved. Therefore, the forebearer of truth is assigned an exclusive right to preach and convert others to its values accordingly, subsequently interpreting world politics in a simple "good vs. evil" binary.

A screenshot of the BBC coverage of the Hong Kong protests. A screenshot of the BBC coverage of the Hong Kong protests.