Hong Kong showdown
Violence escalates as police draw their weapons for first time
POLICE in Hong Kong drew their guns and used water cannon against protesters for the first time yesterday.
The showdown between police and pro-democracy demonstrators was one of the most violent yet and comes amid rising tensions in the former British colony.
Armed officers pointed their weapons at a group of protesters who were reportedly chasing them with sticks and poles. At least one officer fired a shot. Police said it was fired as a warning to protesters and that several officers had been injured in the clashes.
Rubber bullets and tear gas were used against another group of protesters. Two water cannon vehicles were also brought in to clear barricades and disperse crowds.
Images on social media show the vehicles being driven through the streets of Tsuen Wan, where a group of hard-line demonstrators had set up roadblocks following a march. It was unclear last night if any protesters had been injured.
It comes after a large group clashed with police during a march in the Kowloon Bay neighbourhood on Saturday. Police said they arrested 29 people for various offences, including unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapons and assaulting police officers. The demonstrations have been ongoing in Hong Kong since June.
Protesters have complained about heavy-handed tactics by the police, including the use of tear gas. A woman was blinded in one eye after being shot with a bean bag bullet – and many protesters wear eye patches as a show of support.
They are rallying against the erosion of the freedoms promised in 1997 when China took over the British colony.
The protests were sparked by proposed changes to the law on extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China, and their demands now also include scrapping the changes, universal suffrage and an inquiry into police brutality.
Rory Wong, who was at the clash yesterday, said: ‘The escalation you’re seeing now is just a product of our government’s indifference toward the people of Hong Kong.’
The escalating violence will raise fears of a military intervention.
Personnel carriers and other vehicles of the China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police, as well as troops, have been seen assembling at a sports complex in Shenzhen – across the border from Hong Kong.
On Saturday, a senior Hong Kong official said the mainland’s military could intervene during any civil unrest.
Maria Tam Wai-chu, of the Hong Kong SAR Basic Law Committee, said: ‘The soldiers stationed in Hong Kong are not straw men meant to just stay in the garrison, they are an important part of the “one country, two systems”.’