This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/22/hong-kong-pro-democracy-protests-turn-violent-again

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Hong Kong pro-democracy protests turn violent again Hong Kong police and demonstrators clash as tensions escalate
(about 5 hours later)
Protesters in Hong Kong trampled a Chinese flag, vandalised a subway station and set a fire across a wide street on Sunday as pro-democracy demonstrations took a violent turn once again. Protesters and police have clashed in Hong Kong in another weekend of unrest as tensions escalate in the run-up to a significant political anniversary for Beijing.
The day’s action began peacefully as protesters filled a shopping mall in the Sha Tin district and made a large display of folded paper origami cranes. Riot police fired teargas, pepper spray and bean bag rounds on protesters who vandalised metro stations and set improvised barricades ablaze in several flashpoints across the city.
Some put a Chinese flag on the floor and took turns running over it, before defacing it and throwing it into a river. The confrontations mark the 16th consecutive weekend of mass protest for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory and come less than 10 days before China celebrates its national day on 1 October, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
One group later attacked the Sha Tin subway station, which is connected to the mall. They jumped up to smash overhead surveillance cameras, used hammers to knock ticket sensors off gates and spray-painted and broke the screens of ticket machines, using umbrellas to shield their identities. Earlier, residents had staged a peaceful rally at the New Town Plaza in Sha Tin, a key site of protests after police stormed the mall and clashed with protesters there in July. Demonstrators decorated the mall with origami paper cranes and hung banners from the railings. A small group of musicians wearing masks played the song Glory to Hong Kong, which has become the anthem of the protests.
Riot police arrived following the attack and guarded the station after it was closed, with a metal grille pulled down to block entry. Scenes at the mall turned ugly as protesters surrounded a man and accused him of being a spy from mainland China and punched and kicked him. Video footage showed the man walking away from the group, bleeding from the head.
Protesters then built a barricade across a street near the mall, piled what appeared to be brown palm fronds on top and set them on fire. Protesters at the mall trampled on the Chinese flag and painted it black before dumping it into a river while crowds gathered outside the mall, hurling bricks from an overpass at riot police who fired multiple rounds of teargas at them.
Riot police fire teargas at Hong Kong protesters as unrest escalatesRiot police fire teargas at Hong Kong protesters as unrest escalates
Police fired teargas as they tried to advance on the protesters, who had retreated before taking a position behind a wall of umbrellas held by those in the front. Police also fired on demonstrators who gathered in the early evening in Mong Kok, in Kowloon, a frequent site of clashes between police and protesters during the last three months. The police said in a statement that “radical protesters” had thrown bricks at the local police station and set fires at road junctions, “endangering the safety of everyone at scene and seriously affecting traffic nearby”.
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, now in their fourth month, have often descended into violence late in the day and at night. A hard core of protesters say extreme actions are needed to get the government’s attention. On Saturday night, police used teargas and rubber rounds against protesters, who threw petrol bombs towards them and set fires in the streets. Elsewhere, protesters unfurled a large banner with the words “Glory to Hong Kong” and residents supportive of the protesters came out to the streets to heckle police. In one incident, a police officer charged at residents gathered in Kawi Fong in northern Hong Kong, with his baton raised, before a colleague pulled him back.
Before making the origami cranes, protesters at the Sha Tin New Town Plaza mall chanted slogans and sang Glory to Hong Kong, a song that has become their anthem, backed by a small group playing on woodwind and brass instruments through their masks. Many lined the balustrades of the three higher floors overlooking the crowd gathered in the wide space below. Protesters vandalised metro stations, smashing CCTV cameras and spray painting ticket machines. Protesters have begun to target Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway after the operator was seen as bowing to government pressure to close stations during protests, making it harder for demonstrators to escape or for others to join.
Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has agreed to withdraw the extradition bill that sparked the protests in June. But the anti-government protesters are pressing other demands, including fully democratic elections in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory and an independent investigation of complaints about police violence during earlier demonstrations. Demonstrators have also been calling on the rail operator to release CCTV footage of arrests made on 31 August at the Prince Edward station in Kowloon believed to have turned violent.
Protesters say Beijing and Lam’s government are eroding the “high degree of autonomy” and western-style civil liberties promised to the former British colony when it was returned to China in 1997. In the late evening, protesters and crowds of supporters and bystanders continued to gather in Mong Kok in Kowloon, jeering at rows of riot police. Cars drove by beeping in support, prompting cheers from the crowd, which began chanting “stand for freedom, stand with Hong Kong”.
The unending protests are an embarrassment for China’s Communist party ahead of the 1 October celebrations of its 70th year in power. Hong Kong’s government has cancelled a firework display that day, citing concern for public safety. As the 1 October holiday approaches, Beijing has put extensive security measures in place. Authorities are keen not to let any incident mar the day, which will be marked by a massive military parade and a speech by Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Transit authorities closed two stations on the airport express train to guard against possible disruptions, but none had materialised by late Sunday afternoon. Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, said she would formally withdraw a controversial extradition bill that triggered the protests in June. But over the course of protests and clashes, the demands of demonstrators have expanded to include an independent inquiry into police behaviour as well as implementing universal suffrage.
The Hong Kong International Airport Authority said the train would operate between the airport and the terminus station in the city centre without making its usual stops in between. Some airport bus routes were also suspended. Protesters say the city’s freedoms, including independent courts, press, and rule of law, have been eroded since the former British colony was handed over to Beijing in 1997, under an agreement that promised Hong Kong a “high degree of autonomy” for 50 years.
Passengers were advised to leave sufficient time to reach the airport and people on the train were told via onboard announcements that it would make fewer stops than usual, with no mention of the protests. Orange tape blocked the turnstiles at the empty Kowloon station and police clutching riot helmets greeted arriving passengers at the Hong Kong terminus. Hong Kong has cancelled fireworks originally scheduled for the day, and the police appear to be cracking down harder, adding to the more than 1,400 people arrested since June. Last week, Amnesty International released a report based on interviews, showing a “disturbing pattern” of arbitrary arrests and “retaliatory violence”.
Police said they had arrested two 13-year-olds at protests on Saturday, one of whom was accused of burning the Chinese flag. Offenders are liable to a fine and imprisonment for up to three years. Under Hong Kong law, offenders under the age of 14 cannot be sentenced to prison.
Speaking at a reception for the 70th anniversary, Lam said her government would spare no effort in stopping the violence.
Hong KongHong Kong
ChinaChina
Asia PacificAsia Pacific
ProtestProtest
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content