Does not seem to be a democratic way of handling secession. Makes me wonder why Hong Kong should be free in the view of most westeners, but not Texas...

Because China signed a 50 year pact saying as much.

Nope - the pact introduced the "one country, two systems", and that is still in place. Also HK citizens themselves aren't exactly opposed to the new situation: https://research.hktdc.com/en/article/NTY0NDU0NDI3.

You are aware that the Israely government does similar things, right?

Most European governments look at the simultaneous invasion of Israel by three Arab states in 1948, and statements made about the aims of that invasion, and think "what would we be prepared to do to defend against such determined, implacable hostility?". They look at what Israel does to defend itself and think, yeah, pretty much we'd do that.

They look at Israel and see a democratic, technologically advanced state with a liberal economy much like their own. They look at the repressive, autocratic extraction economies in the Arab world and recoil in horror.

I'm not making any judgement on this, or whether they're right or wrong, but that's just how many Europeans see the situation.

I mean wow, they really don't.

And some other Europeans see the Israeli government as human rights abusers and boycott them.

And some other Europeans see human rights abusers and boycott them.

Yup, so does the US and the UK.