Hong Kong airport cancels all flights
China invokes specter of terrorism for protests
HONG KONG — One of the world’s busiest airports canceled all flights after thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators crowded into Hong Kong’s main terminal Monday, while the central government in Beijing issued an ominous characterization of the protest movement as something approaching “terrorism.”
The extreme action by the largely leaderless movement seemed calculated to prompt a stern response from Beijing, and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s administration responded within hours.
No new violence was reported by Monday evening, although the city remained on edge after more than two months of near-daily and increasingly bloody confrontations between protesters and police.
Beijing tends toward a broad definition of terrorism, including in it nonviolent protests of government policies on the environment or in minority regions such as Xinjiang and Tibet.
Hong Kong International Airport said in a statement that the demonstration had “seriously disrupted” airport operations. Only flights that had already started boarding or that were cleared for landing were allowed to use runways at the airport.
A massive traffic jam soon formed on the highway leading back to Hong Kong’s city center. Some protesters were seen walking toward the airport amid the stifling heat.
The airport was struggling to reopen Tuesday.
Passengers were checking in for flights with people who were unable to leave on Monday among those crowding the departure hall. About 200 flights had been canceled.
The demonstrations, which have drawn more than 1 million people at times, call for democratic reforms and an independent inquiry into police conduct, with both protesters and police adopting ever more extreme tactics.
In Beijing, the Cabinet’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office issued a statement saying the situation in Hong Kong was “beginning to show the sprouts of terrorism” and constituted an “existential threat” to the population.
Earlier Monday, Hong Kong police showed off water cannons that could be deployed, a development that Amnesty International has warned could lead to serious injuries if misused in the densely populated city.