Global Times reporter Fu Guohao was attacked by rioters at the Hong Kong International Airport on August 13. Photo: AFP

Condemnation for violence poured in after Global Times reporter Fu Guohao was illegally seized and brutally assaulted by rioters at the Hong Kong International Airport around midnight Tuesday.

Fu Guohao, reporter of Global Times website, was attacked by rioters at the Hong Kong airport while he was performing reporting tasks.  

Radical protesters at the airport beat and tied him up, claiming that he took photos of them. 

Rioters told other reporters in the terminal that they searched Fu's bag and found a T-shirt with a banner saying, "I love Hong Kong Police," so they attacked him.

Fu was seen rolling on the ground with bruises on his body and his head bleeding. 

First aid personnel arrived to give medical attention to Fu, who had almost passed out while surrounded by the protesters for about 20 minutes. 

Rioters also tried to obstruct first-aid personnel from helping Fu at the airport. The Global Times reporters also reported the situation to the Hong Kong Police.

At present, Fu is being treated in hospital.

Attacking journalists for on-scene reporting is not tolerated anywhere in the world, observers noted.

The behavior cannot be justified and does not deserve forgiveness, and it just proves that the radical protesters are incapable of nothing other than venting their negativity in a violent manner, Shen Yi, a professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Fudan University, told the Global Times.

The rioters must pay a price for their actions in accordance with the law, said Shen.

Posts condemning the Hong Kong rioters as terrorists and wishing the reporter well have flooded WeChat moment and Sina Weibo. Fu's full name "Fu Guohao" also became one of the hottest topics on the Sina Weibo after the incident happened.

"This is the moment people can clearly see the brutal nature of the radical protesters. Protecting Hong Kong must start with strict punishment of the rioters," said a Sina Weibo user.

The rioters' proficiency in strapping people with tape, binding victims and recording the whole process is evidence that they are professionally trained for those violent acts, said Shen. 

They are brutally persecuting the victims under the guise of justice, said Shen.

"They are a group of professional mobs, as well as pathetic cannon folder. They are like zombies that willfully damage the city infected with a virus," said Shen.

The chaotic state of terror, the direct violence of internal and external collusion, the targeting of people who speak Putonghua and from the Chinese mainland, these are all signs of clear terrorism. Fu is a great Chinese and we must remember all this. To those of you who support the terror, you have Fu's blood on your hands, and you are also responsible, Zhang Yiwu, a cultural expert from Peking University, told the Global Times.

After he was tied by rioters, a large number of Chinese mainland netizens praised Fu, applauding him for being a real man of iron.

"I support Hong Kong police, you can beat me now," Fu said while he was surrounded by protesters with his hands tied, after that he was kicked and beaten before passing out. 

Fu showed the courage of a decent Chinese man, said Mei Xinyu, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce.

For such a great country as ours, the youth thugs are nothing. The most important thing is that the society should face up to the reality as soon as possible. In particular, it should build consensus and take actions to restore order, Mei noted.