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/oct/01/hong-kong-protester-shot-with-live-round-during-china-national-day-rally

The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Hong Kong protester shot with live round during China National Day rally Hong Kong protester shot with live round during China National Day rally
(32 minutes later)
Huge crowds have turned out in Hong Kong on the 70th anniversary of communist rule in China in demonstrations that began peacefully but spiralled into the worst violence of the four-month old protest movement. Hong Kong police have shot a protester with live ammunition for the first time in four months of demonstrations, marking a major escalation in the use of force on a day when China celebrated 70 years of Communist party rule with a triumphalist military parade.
Police using live ammunition hit a protester for the first time, in Tsuen Wan district, in a major escalation of force. Although shots have been fired in warning at other protests, and police have caused serious injury with rubber bullets and beanbags, this is the first time someone has been hit with a live round. Protests called to mark a “national day of grief” drew tens of thousands of people on to the city’s streets, across six areas, in the most widespread show yet of public anger towards Beijing .
Crowds gathered at other “day of grief” protests, where police were using water cannon and teargas, fell silent when they heard that a man had been hit. Some gathered in central Hong Kong, others met up across the harbour in Kowloon or the New Territories beyond. Initially peaceful, the demonstrations turned into running battles. Authorities shut down nearly half the city’s metro stations in an attempt to contain the violence.
Images shared by local media appeared to show the 18-year-old lying on the ground begging for help as he bled from his injury. “Send me to hospital, my chest is hurting. I need to go to hospital,” he said. Police in full riot gear used water cannons and barrages of teargas, while protesters threw molotov cocktails, built barricades, attacked metro stations and set fires in the street.
Police senior superintendent Yolanda Yu Hoi-kwan said the officer that fired the shot did so because he “felt his life was under serious threat”. The wounded teenager was taken to a hospital for treatment, she added, without giving details about his condition. The scenes, though extremely violent, did not mark a departure from previous protests until mid-afternoon, when a policeman drew his gun and fired a bullet into an 18 year-old high school student’s chest in Tsuen Wan district.
The Hospital Authority said that as of 8pm (1300 BST) 51 people had been injured across Hong Kong. Two were in a critical condition and two in a serious condition. One of those injured critically – understood to be the protester hit by a live round – was being cared for in Princess Margaret hospital. Images shared by local media showed the protester lying on the ground begging for help as he bled from his injury. “Send me to hospital, my chest is hurting. I need to go to hospital,” he said.
Tens of thousands defied a police ban to march through central Hong Kong, and thousands gathered in other parts of the city. Organisers and protesters said the 70th anniversary of communist rule should be a day of mourning not celebration. Although shots have been fired in warning at other protests, police have caused serious injury with rubber bullets and beanbags, and groups including Amnesty International have condemned excessive use of force, this was the first time someone has been hit with a live round.
“We want to show people it this is not a happy anniversary,” said Richard Hung, who works in technology. “The CCP (Chinese Communist party) has killed or injured so many millions of people already. We have come out today, because if we don’t, we may not have another chance.” A video posted by the Hong Kong University Students Union appeared to show the policeman shooting the protestor at point blank range with a pistol.
Police had warned ahead of National Day that they feared violent protests. Organisers had warned that citizens needed a legitimate outlet for their anger after their request for a legal protest was denied. Other footage shared by local RTHK network appears to show the policeman racing away from his fellow officers, in pursuit of protestors standing several metres away, with his gun already drawn and pointed at the group before he opens fire. It could not be independently verified.
The day began with an early moment of police aggression, when officers used pepper spray on a small group of protesters outside the government’s official flag-raising ceremony, which was closed to the public. Police Senior Superintendent Yolanda Yu Hoi-kwan said the incident was “heartbreaking” and claimed the officer acted in self-defence. “The police officers’ lives were seriously threatened. To save his own and his colleagues’ lives, he fired a live shot at the attacker,” she said in a video message posted online.
For the first few hours the main march through central Hong Kong was largely peaceful with protesters dressed largely in black singing “glory to Hong Kong” and scattering paper money used for funeral offerings. The UK said the use of live ammunition was “disproportionate”, while Amnesty International called for an urgent and independent investigation.
Many families and young children were among the crowds. “You see we don’t have any protective gear,” said Terrence, a logistics worker walking with his eight-year-old daughter. “We want freedom, and don’t want to belong to China.” Crowds gathered in central Hong Kong, where police were using water cannon and teargas, fell silent when they heard that someone had been shot.
Still, many of those marching wore face masks or carried umbrellas, to stop them being filmed or identified by authorities who have already arrested hundreds. But violence soon resumed, and in some places intensified, as protesters faced-off with police into the evening. Later a journalist from the local RTHK network was taken to hospital after a projectile hit him in the face, prompting the network to pull all its reporters from the streets.
Graffiti sprayed on metro stations, bus and tram stops and shops considered pro-Beijing included anti-China slogans mocking the day’s celebrations across the border and featured the warning which has become a protest staple: “if you burn, we burn with you”. Health authorities said that 51 people were injured in the protests, the youngest only 11 and the oldest 75. Two were in a critical condition, and two in serious condition.
Violence broke out early at smaller gatherings around the city, and as some marchers in central Hong Kong headed towards the legislative council and government headquarters, police started using force. Hong Kong has been gripped protests since June. Originally sparked by a controversial extradition bill, the movement has morphed into a wider and increasingly violent anti-government movement channelling residents’ anger and frustration at the erosion of their rights under Chinese rule.
Teargas and water cannon were fired by police, while protesters in threw molotov cocktails and set fire to barricades in the road, amid scenes of mayhem. Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has said her government will formally withdraw the bill that ignited months of protests. Hong Kong residents had feared it could be used by China to extradite people for political reasons. They want guarantees that it cannot be reintroduced at a later date.
Hong Kong has been gripped by a wave of protests since June, sparked by a controversial extradition bill, but the movement has morphed into a wider and increasingly violent anti-government movement channelling residents’ anger and frustration at the erosion of their rights under Chinese rule. Protesters want the government to officially recognise that their movement has been a series of legitimate protests, rather than a riot, as has been stated in official communications.
Hundreds of people have been arrested in recent weeks, and the protesters are demanding that all of them be freed, and that no convictions should stand against any of them.
Police use of force has escalated since the demonstrations began, while protesters have also resorted to increasingly violent measures. Demonstrators say an inquiry into police brutality is the number-one priority.
Hong Kong's chief executive is currently selected by a 1,200-member committee, and nearly half of the 70 legislative council seats are filled by limited electorates representing different sectors of the economy. The protesters want to be able to vote for their leaders in free and open democratic elections. 
The marchers had already defied a police ban to turn out in large numbers. Organisers wanted to mark the 70th anniversary of communist China as a day of mourning not celebration, and tens of thousands came out in response.
“We want to show people it this is not a happy anniversary,” said Richard Hung, who works in the technology sector. “The CCP (Chinese Communist party) has killed or injured so many millions of people already. We have come out today, because if we don’t, we may not have another chance.”
For the first few hours the main march through the city centre was peaceful, with protesters dressed largely in black singing “glory to Hong Kong”, scattering paper money used for funeral offerings, and scrawling protest slogans on streets, bus-stations and shops seen as pro-Beijing.
Graffiti included anti-China messages mocking the day’s celebrations across the border, calls for freedom and democracy, and a warning with a prophetic ring that has become a protest staple : “if you burn, we burn with you”.
Many families and young children were among the crowds at first. “You can see, we don’t have any protective gear,” said Terrence, a logistics worker walking with his eight-year-old daughter. “We want freedom, and don’t want to belong to China.”
Still, a large proportion of protesters wore face masks or carried umbrellas, to stop them being filmed or identified by authorities who have already arrested hundreds. Some have been charged with rioting, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years.
Police had said ahead of Tuesday that they feared violent protests, and made a string of raids and arrests, claiming to have uncovered bomb-making equipment and ingredients.
Aggressive policing and the scale of the recent violence fuelled fears that authorities might use it as a pretext to bring in draconian emergency legislation, which would allow the government to arrest people at will, and control the press and communications, in the name of stability.
“It seems there is no sign of this coming to an end until the government is determined to clamp down,” said pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, who has previously called for an emergency law, in a statement carried by the South China Morning Post.
The day began with an episode of police aggression, when officers used pepper spray on a small group of protesters outside the government’s official flag-raising ceremony and national day reception, which was closed to the public.
Then there was calm throughout the morning, as Beijing celebrated its anniversary and rise to super-power status with a military parade showing off its latest hardware, and a civilian procession celebrating everything from communist heroes to agriculture and bicycles.
After more than 20 years of civil war, Mao Zedong leads the communists to victory over the nationalists, and proclaims the founding of the People's Republic of China on 1 October.
China launches a five-year economic plan, the "Great Leap Forward",  collectivising farming and investing in heavy industry. The plan is abandoned after two years after poor harvests lead to starvation and millions of deaths.
The 10-year "Cultural Revolution" causes economic and political upheaval, as Mao attempts to purge communist China of remaining capitalist and traditional elements of society, and enforce Maoism as the dominant and permanent ideology.
Chairman Mao dies.
China's "one-child policy" is introduced to curb population growth.
Troops fire on protesters in Tianaman Square who had been campaigning for greater freedom and democracy. The uprising is crushed.
The opening of the Shanghai and  Shenzhen stock exchanges symbolise the increasing economic liberalisation of China.
Control of Hong Kong is handed back to China from the UK. Two years later Portugal transfers the sovereignty of Macau back to the Chinese.
China joins the World Trade Organization.
Yang Liwei becomes the first Chinese astronaut. Within 10 years the country will successfully deploy a robot rover on the moon.
After years of tension, including riots over how Japanese schoolbooks are accused of portraying the events of the second world war, and tensions over territorial claims in the South China Sea, Wen Jiabao becomes the first Chinese prime minister to address Japan's parliament.
Beijing hosts the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
China overtakes Germany as the world's biggest exporter of goods. The following year it becomes the world's second-largest economy, over-taking Japan.
The Chinese economic "miracle" falters, as growth falls to its lowest level for 25 years.
China becomes increasingly embroiled in a trade war with the US.
A series of major pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong challenge Chinese rule there. The country's human rights record also comes under scrutiny for its treatment of the Uighurs, with claims that more than 1 million of them have been detained in camps the Chinese have euphemistically called “vocational education centres”.
Hong Kong’s protesters only began turning out after those events wrapped up, preparing their own response to mark the day.
“It’s National Day but there is nothing to be happy about in Hong Kong,” said Sarah, 17. “We’re under one party rule and the Communist party controls our government.”“It’s National Day but there is nothing to be happy about in Hong Kong,” said Sarah, 17. “We’re under one party rule and the Communist party controls our government.”
Hong KongHong Kong
ChinaChina
Asia PacificAsia Pacific
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