Hong Kong protesters get first warning from Chinese troops
The Chinese military has issued an unprecedented warning after another night of violence in Hong Kong, as masked protesters risked tear gas and arrest to march in defiance of an emergency ban on face coverings.
After initially peaceful mass protests on Hong Kong island and in Kowloon spiralled into fierce clashes with riot police on Sunday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army warned protesters they could be arrested for targeting its barracks with laser lights.
The warning, the first of its kind during four months of unrest, was displayed on a yellow flag as hundreds of demonstrators shone laser pens at troops. Soldiers responded with spotlights and filmed the scene.
Wildcat protests sprang up and disappeared quickly as bands of activists played a game of cat and mouse with police. The most radical threw Molotov cocktails at advancing officers, who responded with tear gas and arrests.
In one isolated moment of brutality, a taxi driver was badly beaten by protesters after he drove into them. It is not clear what sparked the incident.
The protests were a sign of the widespread public anger at a move by Carrie Lam, the city’s Chief Executive, to use a sweeping Emergency Regulations Ordinance to enforce a face mask ban that many believe impairs their freedoms. Lam justified the ban as necessary to end the turmoil that began with a controversial extradition bill but has spiralled into a wider call for democratic rights.