Republic News
The "Red Hand" Strikes Again
By Zheng Wang
The recent vandalization of the statue of Chief of Police Toph Beifong angered many police officers. So it was to their surprise that even more buildings throughout the city have been vandalized. The buildings were found this morning splashed with red paint. Several buildings targeted included City Hall, government offices as well as the homes of several members of the police force.
Chief of Police Lu made a statement to the press this afternoon, saying, "This act was made out of total cowardice. To go after the police, to obstruct justice, that's one thing, but to go after our own families? That's a low blow. Whoever did this will be brought to justice and will be punished accordingly."
The "Red Hand," as they were dubbed by the public, has gone undetected by police patrolling the streets at night. Police have been enforcing a curfew established a few weeks ago in order to quell the increasing numbers of protests throughout the city.
Some posit that the crime was not committed by a single person, but by a group. Others theorize that this crime spree is the work of rebellious teenagers. However, the latter is unlikely, as these teens would have had to slip past police, who are stationed at every block in the city.
Criminology expert Jing Muto has his own theory. He theorizes, "Whoever did this must have been close to the police themselves. That way, they would be able to get past the police and into and out of government buildings without anyone batting an eye. I believe the perpetrator is under the police's noses, and they should start there."
Protestors have used the moniker as a symbol for their struggle against the police. Members of the so-called "Red Hand" movement have now donned red balaclavas and begun carrying signs printed with a red handprint as they gather at police headquarters and City Hall.
Protesters are outraged at the way Avatar Shen's trial is being handled, believing that the police are using this investigation to distract from their own wrongdoings. What invigorated even more to protest was the handling of the protests themselves.
An anonymous protester said to reporters, "The curfews and night patrols are something out of Hundred Year War-era Fire Nation. In no way should we let the police round us up. I call to all the citizens of this great city to rise up: they can't detain us all."
Republic News
President Hiro and Avatar Shen To Appear On Television Show
By Zheng Wang
Avatar Shen was expected to continue staying out of the public eye up until his trial, in order to prepare better. However, in a confusing turn of events, he and President Hiro have decided to make a joint appearance on the talk show "All Talk with Kenji Kaba."
Political and media analyst Reina Saitou provided a potential explanation for this confusing choice in action on the Avatar's part. "This television appearance is for helping his reputation with the public. The Avatar's approval ratings are currently in the single digits. Even among those that support him, such as the members of the For Balance movement, their focus is mainly on the police themselves. In a recent poll amongst members, Avatar Shen's being found innocent was only the third priority, behind police and government corruption.
"It has been common for the media to portray the Avatar as a cold killer or a potential dictator. The talk show appearance is just a way to show that he is a normal, down-to-earth kid. It's honestly a very calculated move."
"All Talk" is a popular late night talk show, hosted by mover star and comedian Kenji Kaba. The show is usually half an hour long, with an opening number, proceeded by two guest appearances of ten minute each, usually consisting of other mover stars and comedians. However, with the Avatar and president being such high-profile guests, their interview will extend to a full forty-five minutes.
"All Talk with Kenji Kaba" airs daily at sundown, with the interview airing next weekend, one day before the Avatar is set to face trial. Topics that will be discussed include the trial itself, the investigation, and protests, making the segment more serious in tone than others.
The Elemental Times
The Rise of the Red Hand
By Kenzo Amano
Avatar Shen continues to harm the people of Republic City with his followers' newest action. The vandalism of the statue of Toph Beifong and other buildings has sparked a new movement amongst Avatar Shen supporters known as the Red Hand. Their goal, according to them, is to fight against what they see as a faulty investigation and defend Avatar Shen. However, this in practice could not be further from the truth.
Their claim that the investigation against Avatar Shen was made in order to move the attention away from the police's crimes. However, even if this were the case, these protesters are only fanning the flames. They want the focus to be on the police's alleged corruption, but they instead only make the discussion about their own violence. Their vandalism and rioting only show they support one thing: chaos.
Their claim that they are defending Avatar Shen is as preposterous as it is problematic. As I have said before in previous opinion pieces, Avatar Shen is a dangerous person that has no right to be making important decisions. Because I have explained extensively my argument, I will not get too far into it here. But, going back to the main point: the Red Hand does not accomplish what it sets out to do. If "defending" someone includes burning people's faces, then perhaps they would have an argument. The only ones defending the Avatar as of late are his own lawyers, and even they are doing a lousy job.
The Red Hand, like all that Avatar Shen does, is simply a ploy in order to gain more control over people. He uses empty, meaningless jargon to persuade weak-minded people to follow him. The Red Hand is nothing more than the Avatar's personal army who would do anything he asked mindlessly. Such a body is dangerous to have. I am against anything that puts our city and our people at risk. The Red Hand and Avatar are no exceptions. The citizens of Republic City must clear the smoke and mirrors set up by Avatar Shen and bring an end to this era of unrest.
United Daily News
Opinion: In Defense of the Red Hand
By Fu Chen
The recent rise of the Red Hand movement, which seeks for a fair trial and investigation of Avatar Shen, has drawn much criticism from the press, especially The Elemental Times, which has called it "the Avatar's personal army." However, the criticisms against the Red Hand movement are overblown, and only set to ignore the wider issue at play here: police corruption and the Avatar's trial.
The most widespread argument against the Red Hand movement and Avatar Shen's supporters overall is the violence protesters bring. However, the claims of "violence" are either extremely exaggerated or not true at all. For example, the famous rallies at City Hall only became violent once the police interfered. Another case many critics like to bring up is the protester who burned the faces of three police officers. However, these same critics don't like to bring up the fact that this same protester singed half a dozen other protesters. It also is important to note that this individual was a counterprotester, meaning he was against Avatar Shen, not for him.
The rhetoric that the Elemental Times uses in regards to the Red Hand, such as calling it the Avatar's personal army, only stands to fear monger and misinform the public. The Red Hand has no direct affiliation with Avatar Shen, as he is not involved with it on a day-to-day basis. The Red Hand is a completely informal movement. Even if it did do something wrong, which it did not, Avatar Shen should not be held accountable for it.
Often left out on discussions about the Red Hand is the actual goals and purpose of it. In order to make a balanced argument, this piece sets out to allow people to have both sides of it available to them.
According to For Balance, an organization which shares many of the same beliefs as those of the Red Hand, make the claim that the Avatar's trial is simply a distraction. Before Avatar Shen's discovery, whistleblowers reported that many individuals of the police department and national government took millions of yuan in bribes, among other things. The police claimed they would investigate, though this investigation seemingly stopped once the murder trial began. Many suspect the reason why the Avatar's case was moved to Republic City at all was because of this scandal.
Many also view that the Avatar's trial is not being reported properly. Though this is not directly because of the police, many media organizations were quick to criticize the new Avatar for no apparent reason. Many members of the organization For Balance and the Red Hand movement gathered at the offices of newspapers such as the Yuan News and the Elemental Times in protest. However, these were often ignored by the press. Many suspect that it was in order to accentuate the belief that this was a problem strictly involving the police.
Finally, simply put, many of the Red Hand do not wish for their Avatar, who is a major player in world politics and a symbol of peace, to be put to death. The world without the Avatar would be rife with instability and confusion. We know this because we have experienced this before. The eighteen years after Avatar Korra's passing saw the rise in tensions between the Fire Nation and Earth Republic, as well as spirits and humans in rural areas. Many do not wish for another period of instability, so hope that, if the Avatar is found guilty, he will be given clemency.
The bad reputation the Red Hand has is undeserved. It neither is particularly violent, and neither is its goals and beliefs unreasonable. What the movement sets out to do is guarantee that the Avatar is given a fair trial and that peace and balance is maintained.