After brief lull, HK returns to violence
Protesters sing God save the Queen, urge UK to intervene ■
Hong Kong, Sept. 15: Hundreds of demonstrators rallied on Sunday outside the British Consulate in Hong Kong, stepping up calls for international support in their months-long campaign for democratic reforms in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Those gathered waved British flags, sang “God save the Queen” and chanted “UK save Hong Kong.” With banners declaring “one country, two systems is dead,” they repeated calls for Hong Kong’s former colonial ruler to ensure the city’s autonomy is upheld under agreements made when it ceded power to China in Pro-democracy protesters react as police fire water cannons outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong on Sunday.
1997. Demonstrators held similar rallies September1 at the British facility and last weekend at the US Consulate.
In another part of the city, riot police fired teargas and water cannons at hardcore pro-democracy protesters hurling rocks and petrol bombs on Sunday, tipping the violence-plagued city back into chaos after a brief lull in clashes. Tens of thousands of people defied authorities to march through the streets of the city in an unsanctioned rally on Sunday, the latest expression of a popular revolt that has raged for the last 99 days. But the rally descended into violence when small groups of hardcore activists — known within the movement as the “braves” — tried to attack the city's main government complex.
Hong Kong, Sept. 15: Hong Kong riot police fired teargas and water cannon at hardcore pro-democracy protesters hurling rocks and petrol bombs on Sunday, tipping the violence-plagued city back into chaos after a brief lull in clashes.
Tens of thousands of people defied authorities to march through the city in an unsanctioned rally on Sunday, the latest expression of a popular revolt that has raged for the last 99 days.
The rally descended into violence when small groups of hardcore activists — known within the movement as “braves” — attacked the city’s main government complex.
The police fired repeated volleys of tear gas and deployed water cannon trucks after Molotov cocktails and rocks were thrown over security barriers surrounding the complex, which has become a frequent flashpoint in the ongoing protests.
Local television networks broadcast footage of protesters tearing down and burning a huge banner celebrating the upcoming 70th anniversary of the founding of communist China — as well as torching a Chinese flag.
As evening set in, protesters retreated, chased by riot officers and water cannon firing blue-dyed water. Hong Kong’s summer of rage was sparked by a now-abandoned plan to allow extraditions to the authoritarian mainland, a move that prompted millions to hit the streets.
As Beijing and local city leaders doubled down, the protests rapidly snowballed into a much wider anti-government movement.
On Sunday, some demonstrators built barricades, set fires and vandalised subway stations, but the crowds avoided further direct clashes and largely ran away when ranks of police officers got close.
Throughout the evening, multiple brawls broke out between political opponents, including in the districts of Fortress Hill and North Point, the latter a bastion of pro-Beijing sentiment. Witnesses said a group of Beijing supporters armed with poles and improvised weapons attacked people in Fortress Hill, but were then set upon by a larger crowd of anti-government protesters.
Two men were treated by paramedics for bloody wounds and rushed away in ambulances.
“They attacked us today and yesterday, so we chased and attacked them,” a democracy protester, who gave his name as John, told AFP.
Pro-democracy supporters also attacked at least two men in Causeway Bay and further fights took place in North Point, AFP reporters on scene saw.