Hong Kong weekend ends with protest violence, tear gas
HONG KONG — An unauthorized anti-government rally in Hong Kong turned chaotic on Sunday as police used tear gas to disperse protesters on a major tourist strip, leading to hours of ugly confrontations in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Pro-democracy protesters barricaded roads, hurled firebombs and set a subway entrance on fire as they used hit-and-run tactics against phalanxes of riot police.
Protesters in Hong Kong have taken to the streets for more than four months, in a movement sparked by concern about an unpopular China extradition bill that has since snowballed to include wider demands for political reform.
Protesters, who called the latest rally over concerns about police conduct, were met by a heavy police presence, which ratcheted up the tensions.
Police have faced criticism for using heavy-headed tactics including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and a water cannon to subdue protesters. On occasion they have fired live rounds, wounding a teenage activist in the chest last month.
But police say they’re the ones who are victims of violence, having been on the receiving end of hurled bricks and firebombs.
At Sunday’s rally, some protesters threw umbrellas and other objects at riot police, who responded with tear gas, bringing traffic on a main road to a standstill.
Protesters ripped up bricks from the sidewalk and scattered them on the streets to block cars.
Some protesters reportedly took refuge across the street in the luxury Peninsula Hotel, which promptly lowered its shutters.