Hong Kong police arrest protesters amid violence
Dozens, choking on the tear gas, tried to leave the Polytechnic University by breaking through police lines after a night of mayhem in the Chinese-ruled city. Many protesters, dressed in regular clothes and without gas masks, made runs for it, dodging tear gas canisters and sponge grenades, only to be forced back inside.
Some were arrested, tackled to the ground, as others scrambled and tripped over barricades and fences. Police were putting up barricades of their own to keep the protesters in one place. Earlier, police urged the protesters to "drop their weapons" and leave. Police did not explain their tactics on Monday (November 18).
Hong Kong has seen a dramatic escalation of the unrest that plunged the city into chaos for almost six months. Demonstrators were angry at what they see as Chinese meddling in the former British colony and said they were responding to excessive use of force by police.
