About 30 Hongkongers played up a disgusting farce on Sunday by bringing props that resemble excrement to the busy Harbour City in Hong Kong.

They parodied the 2-year-old mainland toddler who peed and defecated on a Hong Kong street last week, an incident that raised intense debate on the Internet.

Such provocations caused wrath and counterstrikes from the on-site mainland tourists. Name-calling between both sides was soon triggered, which stalled activity in the business center.

In Hong Kong social media, slapstick postings about "toddlergate" are going viral again.

This incident, which should have been over and forgotten, was surprisingly reignited by some Hong Kong radicals.

Humiliating mainlanders must be the only aim these protestors were trying to achieve. But it turns out that who they embarrassed and humiliated was nobody but themselves and all of Hong Kong society. Hong Kong's image was badly tarnished by them.

This handful of radicals in Hong Kong remind us of the rampant skinheads and neo-Nazis in Europe. Xenophobia is the cult of these groups. Their opinions have an effect on public opinion, but their actions will usually make trouble for mainstream society.

These Hong Kong "skinheads" shamed Hong Kong civilization, which has to take a much longer time and more efforts to eliminate the ill effects.

Although displeased, mainlanders need to be open-minded and distinguish Hong Kong mainstream society from those contemptible wretches. All of Hong Kong shouldn't be blamed for these incidents, but they can serve as a gate for mainlanders to have a better understanding of Hong Kong society.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong society also needs to show empathy with the mainland.

Spats between the people of both sides may not be minimized overnight, but generosity and open-mindedness are also what Hong Kong should stick to.

From a general point of view, the mainland should maintain a lofty stance over Hong Kong, which is now in a predicament that expects mainland tourists but fears overcrowding.

Hong Kong returned to China not long ago, which means it is still a young member in this big Chinese family.

It is unavoidable that some troublemakers will keep posing challenges to society.

But it must be noted that these people cannot be dealt with at the cost of the harmony of the whole nation.

Patriotism demands this massive country should have a certain tolerance for frictions within different groups.

We need to fight back and overwhelm any forces that try to harm the integrity of the nation. But we also have to remember that a small group of saboteurs can never represent the whole of society.

Let's save the anger and fight only against these hooligans instead of a specific region.