Masked Arsonists Set Fire to Epoch Times Printing Press in Hong Kong

A group of masked arsonists set fire to a printing press belonging to The Epoch Times in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, on November 19, in a move that the paper has called “the latest effort by the Chinese Communist Party to silence The Epoch Times.” This security camera footage shows the incident. According to the paper’s statement, four men stormed into the facility at around 3.40 am as staff were preparing to send a new edition to the stands, ordered everyone not to move, and spread flammable liquid on the floor before torching the facility. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system and workers seen in the video. Local police launched an investigation in the aftermath. The paper condemned the arson attack in strongly worded editorials in both its English and Chinese editions, saying it was in retaliation for The Epoch Times’ reporting on the ongoing Hong Kong pro-democracy protests. The Epoch Times, described in 2018 by Buzzfeed as “one of [Donald] Trump’s biggest defenders,” was founded in 2000 by individuals with connections to Falun Gong, a group that champions meditation and qigong exercises. Described as a “spiritual practice,” Falun Gong is suppressed in China, and Amnesty international has alleged that human rights violations have been carried out against its adherents by the Chinese government. In 2004, The Epoch Times published a series of editorials entitled Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, strictly criticizing the Chinese government. Credit: The Epoch Times via Storyful

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