HK protesters defy police with ‘hit-and-run’ rallies
HONG KONG: Police in Hong Kong fired tear gas on Saturday at prodemocracy protesters who defied orders to cancel a rally and blocked intersections across the city in “hitand-run” demonstrations.
The new protests came after the city’s leader warned she would grant no concessions to the demonstrators, whose movement is now in its third month.
Activists who have embraced the mantra “Be Water” took their commitment to flexible protest action to new heights, splitting up into groups to spread quickly across the city and block roads.
They gathered first in the Tai Po district, despite police denying their request for a march permit there, and quickly faced off against officers dressed in riot gear.
But before any clashes erupted, the demonstrators retreated and split into smaller groups, heading to different locations across the city to block roads and chanting “reclaim Hong Kong, revolution of our times”.
One group of protesters wearing their movement’s signature black and armed with helmets and gas masks arrived in the Tai Wai district, where they dismantled railings along the road to set up barricades and chanted “triads, triads” at nearby police, in a reference to the city’s infamous criminal gangs.
“Today is not about standing off with police or guarding a road. It’s more about going to different places and leaving once police get here,” said a 17-year-old student protester who gave only his surname, Lok.
“We won’t meet eye-to-eye and will actually create more trouble for them,” he said.
Riot police quickly moved in and began firing tear gas, sending demonstrators running to the sides of streets and into a nearby bus terminal.
The gas drifted into the nearby subway station, where a mother and child covered their faces along with other travellers caught in the confrontation.
“I was just walking leisurely nearby and was shocked when I heard they fired tear gas. Me and my friends had to help other older residents to quickly walk away,” said a 23-yearold who gave only his family name, Tsang.
Torrential rains caused a landslide on a mountain that blocked a river below. The resulting ‘dam’ created a lake which swept downstream when it burst.
REPORTS CCTV, NATIONAL TELEVISION