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Hong Kong protesters brace for clashes with triads in Yuen Long rally Hong Kong protesters brace for clashes with triads in Yuen Long rally
(32 minutes later)
Hong Kong residents braced for more clashes on Saturday as protesters vowed to defy police orders and hold a rally that could pit them against triad gangs.Hong Kong residents braced for more clashes on Saturday as protesters vowed to defy police orders and hold a rally that could pit them against triad gangs.
Demonstrators were preparing to march on Saturday afternoon in Yuen Long, in Hong Kong’s rural New Territories in the north of the city, where suspected triads attacked commuters and protesters with poles and rods last week, leaving 45 hospitalised.Demonstrators were preparing to march on Saturday afternoon in Yuen Long, in Hong Kong’s rural New Territories in the north of the city, where suspected triads attacked commuters and protesters with poles and rods last week, leaving 45 hospitalised.
Shops have begun to close in Yuen Long and staff at the Yuen Long shopping centre were taking away rubbish bins. Giant water barricades have been set up around the Yuen Long police station. Residents in villages have glued bricks to the ground, so they cannot be used by protesters. Lines of protesters, many head to toe in black, with helmets, pads and masks have filled Yuen Long station, sitting on the ground in groups. Some made their way to the rally’s starting point, a playground. Most shops along the main road, the march’s route were closed. Riot police have set up posts along the main road and in the Yuen Long station, where last week’s attack took place and where the march was scheduled to end on Saturday.
Giant water barricades have been set up around the Yuen Long police station. Residents in villages have glued bricks to the ground, so they cannot be used by protesters.
A queue of at least six police vans have been parked outside the Yuen Long MTR (mass transit railway) station. About a dozen of men in white t-shirts – the clothing favoured by last week’s mysterious thugs, can be seen in Nam Pin Wai village, just outside the station. Many are wearing masks.
The head of the Yuen Long village committee told a press briefing earlier this week that protesters should stay away from villages, warning that people would sure to “protect their homes” if attacked.
Earlier in the week, the police rejected an application by protesters to hold a rally in Yuen Long on the grounds of potential clashes with the residents of the villages in Yuen Long where the triads are active.Earlier in the week, the police rejected an application by protesters to hold a rally in Yuen Long on the grounds of potential clashes with the residents of the villages in Yuen Long where the triads are active.
The Hong Kong government on its Facebook page on Saturday told citizens to refrain from going to the Yuen Long protest, warning them against “defying the law”.The Hong Kong government on its Facebook page on Saturday told citizens to refrain from going to the Yuen Long protest, warning them against “defying the law”.
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The attack in Yuen Long and response by authorities has plunged Hong Kong further into its worst political crisis in decades. Residents, activists, and opposition lawmakers have accused the government and police of colluding with the triads in an attempt to suppress a protest movement that has taken over the city for the last two months, a charge vehemently denied by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam.The attack in Yuen Long and response by authorities has plunged Hong Kong further into its worst political crisis in decades. Residents, activists, and opposition lawmakers have accused the government and police of colluding with the triads in an attempt to suppress a protest movement that has taken over the city for the last two months, a charge vehemently denied by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam.
The demonstrations, initially triggered by a bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, have turned into a referendum on the Hong Kong government and the city’s eroding freedoms under Beijing’s control. Beijing has labelled the protests riots and condemned the “extreme illegal violence”.The demonstrations, initially triggered by a bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, have turned into a referendum on the Hong Kong government and the city’s eroding freedoms under Beijing’s control. Beijing has labelled the protests riots and condemned the “extreme illegal violence”.
Over the past week, dozens of groups including civil servants, teachers, and aviation workers have joined the protest movement by issuing letters of condemnation and threatening “industrial action” if the government does not respond to the public’s demands.Over the past week, dozens of groups including civil servants, teachers, and aviation workers have joined the protest movement by issuing letters of condemnation and threatening “industrial action” if the government does not respond to the public’s demands.
What are the Hong Kong protests about?What are the Hong Kong protests about?
The police have rejected another application by protesters to hold a rally in Sheung Wan where police and protesters clashed last week.The police have rejected another application by protesters to hold a rally in Sheung Wan where police and protesters clashed last week.
The denial of permission amounts to a ban on the protests, a move the police have not taken over the past seven weeks of demonstrations. Protesters have pledged to come out to the streets despite the ban, escalating the prospect of clashes with police.The denial of permission amounts to a ban on the protests, a move the police have not taken over the past seven weeks of demonstrations. Protesters have pledged to come out to the streets despite the ban, escalating the prospect of clashes with police.
To get around the ban, protesters have called on Hong Kongers to come for a “full-gear shopping day” in Yuen Long, in which protesters would don their protective gear to go shopping.To get around the ban, protesters have called on Hong Kongers to come for a “full-gear shopping day” in Yuen Long, in which protesters would don their protective gear to go shopping.
'So surreal': Hong Kongers take up self-defence classes in wake of thug attacks'So surreal': Hong Kongers take up self-defence classes in wake of thug attacks
Others have called for a mass round of Pokemon Go. Some have sarcastically said they will be holding a memorial, which does not need police permission, for the late Chinese premier Li Peng, known as the “butcher of Beijing” for his role in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, who died this week.Others have called for a mass round of Pokemon Go. Some have sarcastically said they will be holding a memorial, which does not need police permission, for the late Chinese premier Li Peng, known as the “butcher of Beijing” for his role in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, who died this week.
On Friday, thousands of protesters staged an 11-hour sit in at the Hong Kong airport. A pilot for Cathay Pacific, a Hong Kong carrier, alerted passengers upon landing that there was a “very peaceful and orderly demonstration” taking place in the arrival hall.On Friday, thousands of protesters staged an 11-hour sit in at the Hong Kong airport. A pilot for Cathay Pacific, a Hong Kong carrier, alerted passengers upon landing that there was a “very peaceful and orderly demonstration” taking place in the arrival hall.
[Sound on] 'Hongkongers add oil': A Cathay Pacific pilot landing in Hong Kong from Japan on Friday reassured passengers about the anti-extradition law protests at the airport: https://t.co/ZBMxDApWoh #HongKong #NoToChinaExtradition #china #antiELAB pic.twitter.com/S74wK1GPJ7[Sound on] 'Hongkongers add oil': A Cathay Pacific pilot landing in Hong Kong from Japan on Friday reassured passengers about the anti-extradition law protests at the airport: https://t.co/ZBMxDApWoh #HongKong #NoToChinaExtradition #china #antiELAB pic.twitter.com/S74wK1GPJ7
The pilot said: “So don’t be scared by all these people wearing black shirts ... and feel free to talk to them and know more about Hong Kong if you want to, and last but not least, Go Hong Kong!”The pilot said: “So don’t be scared by all these people wearing black shirts ... and feel free to talk to them and know more about Hong Kong if you want to, and last but not least, Go Hong Kong!”
Additional reporting by Verna YuAdditional reporting by Verna Yu
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