But I've been there for the last five months, so don't tell me that what I've seen is all a mirage.

Yes, the root causes can be laid at the feet of sycophantic HK governments licking the boots of the mainland Chinese Communist Party, which has been nibbling at the rights of HongKongers ever since the handover in 1997 but the tactics of the protesters/rioters now are indistinguishable from the people they are supposedly resisting. I defy you to tell me that throwing rocks and petrol bombs at the police and destroying the businesses of companies that dare to disagree with them as well as crippling the city's basic public transport system are the actions of "democrats".

I supported the original demonstrations and understand why they started, but the extremists have taken over and they lost me when they began to use violence and wanton destruction to advance their cause. No good can come of this.

Just think for one moment rather than jerking your knees. In five months the only two murders have been perpetrated by the protesters despite the continual hyperbolic claims of "police brutality". If you want to argue that I will give you actual fact-based evidence.