A fire set by rioters burns at an entrance to the Central MTR subway station in Hong Kong on Sunday. Photo: AFP

"Fame, sex and peer recognition seem to have become more powerful 'incentives' on the 'battlefield' during the months-long protests in Hong Kong." Hong Kong Executive Councilor Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun reiterated on Tuesday that she had "trusted" sources to confirm that a 14-year-old student was misled into offering free sex to frontline protesters.  

Law, who previously served as Hong Kong's Commissioner of the Independent Commission against Corruption and Secretary for Education and Manpower, told the Global Times on Monday that she had a source who knows the victim, a 14-year-old student. However, for privacy reasons, she said she cannot provide any details, but she suggested that girls be alert and stay away from alcohol and marijuana in gatherings with people they meet at protests. 

The comments were made after a viral post showed a "brainwashed" teenage girl becoming a "sex angel" for frontline protesters, who are dubbed as "warriors," as their radical and violent behavior is usually one-sidedly depicted as "heroically" withstanding blows from police batons. The girl was also induced to try marijuana, and was physically harmed by seven rioters, according to the post. 

Law attended RTHK's "Backchat" radio program on Monday, saying, "I think we have confirmed this as true. I am so sad for these young girls who have been misled into offering free sex."

The news has caused quite a stir in Hong Kong and appalled those who seek to protect under-aged girls from being misled and exploited by radical protesters amid the ongoing anti-government protests.  

Law told the Global Times that she had been accused by netizens of spreading "rumors" since the program was aired. But she said the case was confirmed "by a trusted friend through someone who knows the victim."

"It was sex between willing parties, but having sex with an under-aged girl is a criminal offence," she said, noting that, understandably, the girl and her family do not wish to report to the police, and only want to reveal the case to warn other girls. 

When reached by the Global Times again on Tuesday for confirming the case, Law said that this particular case was confirmed to be true by someone who personally knows the girl.  

"This is not fake news... I am not suggesting that the case is prevalent, but it is sad enough to merit a warning," she said. 

"Most of the young black-clad protesters look moderate with innocent smiles; how could they get involved in the dangerous adult world of street riots?" an article Law shared with the Global Times said. 

It turns out that the black-clad protesters have a great need to be recognized by others. "Without the riots, they wouldn't have made each other's acquaintance. They would have spent their adolescence as home-bound boys and girls… But after joining the rioters' corps, these youngsters received considerable 'peer' recognition," said the article which Law said was written by a source who had close contact with blackcade protesters.  

During protests, young people soon become comrades-in-arms, while boys and girls become lovers. And some young women offer themselves for those who fought the police "valiantly" on the front lines. Previously girl-shy young men now find themselves embraced, even by well-born, well-to-do women they wouldn't have dreamed of approaching, according to the article.

At the start of each riot, groups of three to five motivate each other. Core members can enjoy "drug treatment." Organizers hand out drugs said to numb their nerves to better withstand the blows from police batons, the article said. 

The article also blamed problems with liberal studies for helping distort values and creating a misunderstanding of the mainland among Hong Kong youth, as black-clad protesters who are "sacrificing" themselves to politics are reluctant to discuss politics. Their conversations most often center on racist comments about new immigrants and other mainland people.