HK cops, protesters trade rocks and tear gas
HONG KONG: Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons at hardcore pro-democracy protesters hurling rocks and petrol bombs yesterday, tipping the violenceplagued 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 yesterday, the latest expression of a 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 “braves” — tried to attack the city’s main government complex.
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 protests.
Local television networks broadcast footage of protesters tearing down and burning a banner celebrating the upcoming 70th anniversary of the founding of communist China — as well as burning a Chinese flag.
As evening set in, protesters retreated, chased by riot officers and water cannon firing bluedyed water.
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.
The clashes ended a relative lull in recent days in the intensity of skirmishes between police and protesters. The once-stable international hub has been convulsed by weeks of huge, sometimes violent rallies calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.
Earlier, protesters rallied outside Britain’s consulate in Hong Kong, demanding London do more to protect its former colonial subjects and ramp up pressure on Beijing.
Hundreds of demonstrators sang God Save the Queen and Rule
Britannia outside the consulate, waving the Union Jack as well as Hong Kong’s colonial-era flags.
Many of the protest signs accused Britain of not doing enough to confront Beijing.
“Sino-British Joint Declaration is VOID,” one read, referencing the 1984 agreement that paved the way for the city’s handover, a deal that Hong Kongers were given no say over.
Many called for Hong Kongers who want to leave the city to be granted citizenship in Britain or other Commonwealth nations.