State Media Hits Out At Xinhua Vandalism

State media, including the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, have condemned vandalism by protesters at the Hong Kong office of the official Xinhua News Agency.

Windows at the offices in Wan Chai were smashed during a night of chaos on the streets, in the first such attack on the media group.

People's Daily said that in attacking Xinhua's offices, protesters had trampled on laws intended to protect press freedom and had breached the bottom line of any civilised country. It said this was nothing short of a malicious attack on Hong Kong people's love for the country.

The paper urged Hong Kong people and journalists to support the police's crackdown, and said the attack would not stop calls for an end to violence.

Meanwhile, the state-run Global Times tabloid was even more outspoken, describing the attack as an escalation in violence.

In apparent reference to the news agency's role as Beijing's de facto consulate in colonial times, the paper said Xinhua was symbolic and played a vital role in the run up to the 1997 Handover.

It said the attack had clear political intentions, and amounted to a provocation to Hong Kong's rule of law, the Central government and the nation.

In its own report, Xinhua quoted a spokesman as saying: "Xinhua expresses strong indignation and condemnation against the rioters' savage behaviours and hopes that Hong Kong police will launch a serious investigation into the incident."

The Hong Kong Journalists' Association and the News Executives Association have also condemned the vandalism.