【明報專訊】HUNDREDS of thousands of citizens joined the July 1 march in scenes of immensity, peace and order. This was in great contrast to the tumult caused by a handful of extreme protesters who smashed into the Legislative Council building. Violence is a plague that proliferates quickly if society fails to condemn it. Peace, rationality and non‑violence is one of the core values of Hong Kong society. The violent storming of the Legco complex is an act that must be strongly reprimanded. Hearing several cases involving political violence in recent years, the court has also repeatedly emphasised that "violence is violence". It is something that should never be glorified with any pretexts. When a handful of people continue to escalate their violence and even a pan‑democratic lawmaker who tries to discourage them from using violence is knocked over and injured, society must stand up to make a clean break with violence rather than gloss over the problem.