Hong Kong Protesters Fire Projectiles at Police as Chinese University Turns Into Battleground

Police and protestors clashed yet again in Hong Kong on November 12, this time at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, following one of the most violent days of protests since they began in April.

Eyepress News Agency recorded a video of the incident, showing protestors hurling flammable objects while hiding behind makeshift shields, as fires burn in the background. According to local reports, police fired tear gas at a bridge near the edge of the Sha Tin-based campus after accusing protestors of throwing objects into the traffic below.

The police had arrested several protestors earlier in the day, which prompted the Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Rocky Tuan, to arrive around 5.00 pm and attempt a negotiation with police. Tuan told the students that police would retreat if the university agreed to hire security guards to prevent any similar occurrences from taking place, but the students demanded the release of all previous arrests from earlier in the day as well.

While Tuan and his staff were walking toward police lines to discuss a full police withdrawal, they were ordered not to come any closer. Police eventually fired tear gas and Tuan was escorted away by his staff with a mask pressed to his face.

At 10.13 pm the government released a statement saying that police spoke to university authorities and they would withdraw from the school pursuant to “a peaceful solution to diffuse the situation.” Credit: EYEPRESS NEWS AGENCY via Storyful