Hong Kong police fire teargas and rubber bullets as demonstrators defy ban on protest against triad thugs
Hong Kong police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Saturday to disperse huge crowds holding a banned rally, snarling the city in its eight consecutive weekend of protests that show little signs of abating.
Tens of thousands defied authorities and flooded main roads in Yuen Long, a small town close to the border to mainland China, to protest against a white-clad mob that viciously beat up pro-democracy demonstrators and bystanders with iron bars and bamboo sticks last weekend.
The march began peacefully but quickly descended into chaos after crowds swarmed a police van. Demonstrators swore at officers and spray painted expletives on the side, while another group broke down metal barriers even as rows of riot police assembled.
The tense standoff escalated in a matter of minutes when riot police shot dozens of tear gas rounds, stinging the Telegraph, and sending protesters into running battles with officers in a scene now all too familiar in the financial hub.
For hours in the afternoon and as the sky turned dark, protesters with hard hats, elbow protectors, face masks, and hiking sticks unfurled umbrellas to shield against the tear gas, scattering as more canisters were flung into the air. Some taunted the police, throwing stones and bricks at them.
Hong Kong has been plunged into a political crisis after millions of demonstrators took to the streets, sparking violent confrontations between police and smaller pockets of radical protesters, some of whom stormed the city’s legislative building earlier this month.
Protests kicked off over an extradition proposal that would have allowed suspects to be sent to face trial in mainland China, where the ruling Communist Party largely controls the courts. Demonstrators first called for the bill to be scrapped, but have since expanded their demands to include wider democratic freedoms and an independent investigation into police brutality.
As violence continues, fears have grown that Beijing will use the military – in a move that would be reminiscent of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 – as Hong Kong leaders appear unable or unwilling to restore order.
In a rare move, police didn’t grant protesters a letter of no objection for Saturday’s demonstration, classifying it an unauthorised assembly and citing safety concerns.
But it didn’t prevent the crowds from staying home. One woman sported a t-shirt that read, “kind heart, fierce mind, brave spirit.”
“We have to show we’re not afraid,” said Thomas Wong, 25, who has participated in several rounds of marches and plans to keep coming out until protester demands are met. “We’re still not satisfied.”
While most protesters left as clashes with the police turned violent, hundreds remained and peacefully regrouped in the Yuen Long subway station; some prepared to go home. But a special tactical unit charged into the station late at night, using pepper spray and beating people with batons creating pandemonium in a move some have compared to the violent attacks last week.
Eleven men have been arrested, aged between 18 and 68, and four officers were injured, police said in a late night press briefing. The authorities confirmed use of tear gas, rubber bullets and foam rounds, a response of “appropriate force,” saying some protesters threw smoke bombs and bottles containing corrosive liquids at officers.
Rights groups, however, condemned the strong response. “The violent scenes in Yuen Long tonight were in part because Hong Kong police chose to inflame a tense situation rather than deescalate it,” said Man-Kei Tam, director of Amnesty International Hong Kong.
“While police must be able to defend themselves, there were repeated instances today where police officers were the aggressors, beating retreating protesters, attacking civilians in the train station and targeting journalists,” said Mr Tam. "Alarmingly, such a heavy-handed response now appears the modus operandi for Hong Kong police and we urge them to quickly change course.”
Protest signs and art have popped up all over the city. A mock funeral was even held Saturday for the city’s leaders, including chief executive Carrie Lam and police commissioner Stephen Lo.
Protesters have continually demanded Ms Lam to resign, and public anger has raged over police handling, accused of reacting too slowly and even colluding with the violent mob last Sunday. Police say twelve people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence, nine of whom have known triad links.
Yuen Long is in an area of Hong Kong called the New Territories, where many of the surrounding rural villages are known for triad gang activity and support for the pro-Beijing establishment.
Most stores and government facilities in Yuen Long were closed Saturday, though a few drink stands drew long lines of thirsty protesters under the sweltering summer sun.
Despite halting traffic on the main roads of Yuen Long, some vehicles were allowed through, with passengers flashing thumbs up or shaking fists in solidarity, causing cheers to erupt among protesters.
On Friday, thousands protested at Hong Kong airport’s arrivals hall. Many fear freedoms are eroding in the former British colony, which are meant to be guaranteed in a 50-year agreement that kicked in when the territory was returned to China.
More rallies are scheduled for Sunday, and are planned through the end of August. And they’ll keep going, “because the government is not answering us,” said a university student, 20, who declined to give his full name.
Additional reporting by Yiyin Zhong
