People are beaten by rioters for voicing their opinions; children are pressured into conformity by radical students and teachers at school to attend illegal demonstrations; sons and daughters of police officers are bullied with their personal information being posted online.

One of the preconditions for freedom and democracy to flourish is freedom from fear. The rioters have taken that freedom away from Hong Kong's other residents. In doing so, they have shown what is the real threat to democracy and freedom in Hong Kong.

HONG KONG - A shroud of blackness is spreading in Hong Kong. Black-clad people chant hateful slogans; black masks hide mobsters' identity as they bludgeon passersby with black umbrellas unfurled to hide from media cameras, all supposedly in the name of democracy and freedom.

For many residents, this blackness is depressing. They are often too intimidated to speak out or take action as they witness the violence that is wreaking havoc across Hong Kong.

Recent outbreaks of riots have undoubtedly unveiled the real threat to democracy and freedom in Hong Kong, once a peaceful and prosperous place in south China.

On Sunday night, black-clad rioters vandalized metro stations, forcing the shutdown of Hong Kong's key transport network, and shattered shops whose owners they assumed were patriotic, depriving others of the basic rights they claimed to be fighting for.

Their exercise of "private settlement," a euphemism for lynching those who disagree with them, or merely uttered different political views, reached new heights on Sunday night, when at least three people were savagely beaten by the rioters.

In one case, a woman was attacked by masked men when taking pictures of rioters damaging ATM machines. Footage from local channel TVB showed her bleeding from the mouth and neck, while some black-clad rioters kept scolding and pushing her and pointing laser beams directly at her face.