Hong Kong unrest continues with traffic chaos and campus violence
Kong residents endured a fourth day of traffic chaos and mass transport disruption as protesters closed some main roads and rail networks while police skirmished with students at major universities.
Police said protesters shot several arrows at them near Hong Kong Polytechnic University. None of the officers were injured and six arrows were seized at the scene, officers said.
Life in this city of 7.5 million has been strained as thousands of commuters have been unable to get to work or endured lengthy commutes.
Demonstrators blocking a street in central Hong Kong yesterday
Appealing for employers to show flexibility, the government said: “For staff who cannot report for duty on time on account
of conditions in road traffic or public transport services, employers should give due consideration to the circumstances.”
A business and high-end retail district in the centre of the city was again taken over by protesters at lunchtime, as it has been every day since Monday.
Office workers watched from pavements and bridges as protesters littered the streets with bricks and other items to block traffic and police.
At one point, police swooped in and kicked the bricks to the kerb along one major thoroughfare, but the stand-off continued.
The Education Bureau extended the suspension of classes for nursery to high school students until Monday.
At Polytechnic University, protesters shot an arrow at patrolling officers, then threw flower pots from a height when othHONG ers arrived. Police responded with tear gas and protesters fired more arrows.
Protesters have hurled petrol bombs and thrown objects off bridges on to roads below during clashes at campuses this week.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong suspended classes for the rest of the year and others asked students to switch to online learning.
Students at the Chinese University, site of some of the fiercest clashes where students hurled more than 400 firebombs at police on Tuesday, have barricaded themselves in the suburban campus. Early yesterday they used chainsaws to drop trees on to streets and prepared for a possible confrontation with police.