I did not even hint that we should. I merely said that provoking China in this particular way was a Bad Plan™.
What will happen to these protesters is predictable and sad, but we were not a party to the leases between the UK and China, we did not participate in the negotiations that led to the handover of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories to China and we did not promise anyone anything before or after July 1, 1997.
RE: We did not promise anyone anything before or after July 1, 1997.
But China will blame us ANYWAY. They are already doing this in their media.
The unfortunate meeting between one of our diplomats, Julie Eadeh, political unit chief of the US consulate general in Hong Kong, with their protest leaders (led by activist Joshua Wong) is just one example they will cite as interference in their internal affairs.
See here:
https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/08/09/19/china-tells-us-diplomats-in-hong-kong-to-stop-interfering