The central government will not sit idly by and allow the resurgence of protest violence to sabotage Hong Kong’s future, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the office’s spokesperson also urged individuals and institutions with public authority in the city to do their duty and counter the “political virus” of violence.

In a statement, the office’s spokesperson also urged individuals and institutions with public authority in the city to do their duty and counter the “political virus” of violence. Hong Kong will not enjoy continuous peace and stability until the protest violence comes to an end, the office said

Hong Kong will not enjoy continuous peace and stability until the protest violence comes to an end, the office said.

The remarks came after the often-violent anti-government protests, which began in June, resurfaced in Hong Kong during the Labor Day holiday.

On May 1, groups of radicals flouted a social-gathering ban related to the COVID-19 pandemic, staging illegal assemblies and hurling gasoline bombs at police vehicles.

The next day, several suspected homemade bombs and some inflammable chemicals were found in an abandoned school in Kowloon Bay. Also seized at the site was a pressure cooker, which is often used in overseas terrorism attacks to increase the explosive force of bombs.

Protest violence is “destroying” the foundation of the city’s stability and prosperity, the office said. It termed such a radical force as “a big enemy” of the implementation of the “one country two systems” principle in the city.

Some local residents who are now struggling expressed their worries about the possibility that violence will return.

A 53-year-old taxi driver surnamed Lee said he hopes last year’s social unrest will not return, as it has already inflicted a great deal of hardship on his family.

“I hope my family won’t need to worry about whether we will have enough money to buy food for the next dinner anymore,” Lee said.

Lee’s monthly income has dropped more than 70 percent compared with the same period last year, to less than HK$5,000 (US$645). This presents a grave challenge to his family, as his wife and two children, aged 7 and 13, all depend on his income. Lee has had to borrow money to cover the family’s living expenses.

Lee’s salary was reduced by half amid last year’s unrest. Radical protesters paralyzed traffic almost every week. Some radicals even vandalized vans, taxis and buses and attacked the drivers who argued with the vandals.

A former restaurant employee surnamed Lau, who is in his 60s, lost his job in January as the restaurant’s business was seriously hurt by last year’s unrest. He now lives on the government allowance offered to unemployed people.

“I felt hopeless when radicals ignored the hardship people like me are experiencing and insisted on doing what they thought is right,” Lau said.

Contact the writers at bingcun@chinadailyhk.com