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| Bricks, Bottles and Tear Gas: Protesters and Police Battle in Hong Kong | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| [Read about Thursday’s developments in Hong Kong here.] | |
| Riot police officers turned downtown Hong Kong into a tear-gas-filled battlefield on Wednesday as they pushed back against protesters who tried to storm Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. Demonstrators, angry over an extradition bill that would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial, hurled bricks, bottles and umbrellas as they clashed with the police. | |
| At least 72 people have been injured to date, the Hong Kong government reported, based on data from the city’s hospitals. Local news media reported that 21 police officers were injured in the clashes. | At least 72 people have been injured to date, the Hong Kong government reported, based on data from the city’s hospitals. Local news media reported that 21 police officers were injured in the clashes. |
| A line of protesters, many of them young people in black T-shirts, repeatedly rushed toward a ring of heavily armored police officers, only to be repelled. The officers lashed out with blows, rubber bullets, beanbag rounds, pepper spray and tear gas. | A line of protesters, many of them young people in black T-shirts, repeatedly rushed toward a ring of heavily armored police officers, only to be repelled. The officers lashed out with blows, rubber bullets, beanbag rounds, pepper spray and tear gas. |
| [What caused the protests? We took a look at the proposed extradition bill that has outraged residents.] | [What caused the protests? We took a look at the proposed extradition bill that has outraged residents.] |
| At times, only a thin metal barrier separated the two groups as the protesters’ front line slowly inched closer to the source of their anger — Hong Kong’s legislature. | At times, only a thin metal barrier separated the two groups as the protesters’ front line slowly inched closer to the source of their anger — Hong Kong’s legislature. |
| One police officer held a giant red sign warning protesters: “Stop charging or we will use force.” | One police officer held a giant red sign warning protesters: “Stop charging or we will use force.” |
| Many of the city’s lawmakers, from both the pro-democracy camp that opposes the extradition legislation and the pro-Beijing majority that supports it, failed to arrive at the council for a scheduled debate on Wednesday morning, after protesters surrounded the complex and blocked traffic. The council later said the debate was postponed until further notice. | Many of the city’s lawmakers, from both the pro-democracy camp that opposes the extradition legislation and the pro-Beijing majority that supports it, failed to arrive at the council for a scheduled debate on Wednesday morning, after protesters surrounded the complex and blocked traffic. The council later said the debate was postponed until further notice. |
| Though a number of protesters turned to violence, the majority were peaceful. The police’s use of tear gas and rubber bullets was a turning point in their response to the demonstrations, and reflected the government’s determination to keep the legislature from being overrun. | Though a number of protesters turned to violence, the majority were peaceful. The police’s use of tear gas and rubber bullets was a turning point in their response to the demonstrations, and reflected the government’s determination to keep the legislature from being overrun. |
| The police have not acknowledged using rubber bullets against protesters for decades. Five years ago, when tear gas was used against a student democracy protest, it incited public fury that brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets. That movement turned into a sustained occupation of several commercial districts for months in Hong Kong known as the Umbrella Movement, referring to the shield of choice used to fend off police pepper spray. | The police have not acknowledged using rubber bullets against protesters for decades. Five years ago, when tear gas was used against a student democracy protest, it incited public fury that brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets. That movement turned into a sustained occupation of several commercial districts for months in Hong Kong known as the Umbrella Movement, referring to the shield of choice used to fend off police pepper spray. |
| By late Wednesday afternoon, the area immediately adjacent to the council had been cleared of protesters, but tear gas hung in the air in the city’s main financial and business district. So much tear gas was used that commuters at nearby subway stations and people in shopping malls were coughing and tearing up. Many sought medical attention. | By late Wednesday afternoon, the area immediately adjacent to the council had been cleared of protesters, but tear gas hung in the air in the city’s main financial and business district. So much tear gas was used that commuters at nearby subway stations and people in shopping malls were coughing and tearing up. Many sought medical attention. |
| Late Wednesday night, several hundred protesters remained in clusters on nearby roads in a tense standoff with riot police officers, occasionally charging at each other. | Late Wednesday night, several hundred protesters remained in clusters on nearby roads in a tense standoff with riot police officers, occasionally charging at each other. |
| Near a major police station in the district of Wan Chai, a few dozen police officers leapt over barricades and charged toward the protesters. Some protesters started fleeing, but others chanted: “Withdraw! Withdraw!” The police retreated behind the barricades. | Near a major police station in the district of Wan Chai, a few dozen police officers leapt over barricades and charged toward the protesters. Some protesters started fleeing, but others chanted: “Withdraw! Withdraw!” The police retreated behind the barricades. |
| Warwick Nip, a 28-year-old interior engineer with a ponytail, who kept a wet towel around his neck in case he needed relief from tear gas, sat next to two large obstacles made up of metal barricades and bamboo poles secured together. | Warwick Nip, a 28-year-old interior engineer with a ponytail, who kept a wet towel around his neck in case he needed relief from tear gas, sat next to two large obstacles made up of metal barricades and bamboo poles secured together. |
| If the police charged, he said, he intended to remain in the front line because he wanted to “do the right thing.” | If the police charged, he said, he intended to remain in the front line because he wanted to “do the right thing.” |
| Hong Kong’s commissioner of police described Wednesday’s demonstrations as “riots” and called on protesters to go home, warning that those who refused “might regret your decision for your entire life.” | Hong Kong’s commissioner of police described Wednesday’s demonstrations as “riots” and called on protesters to go home, warning that those who refused “might regret your decision for your entire life.” |
| The remarks by Commissioner Stephen Lo at a news conference came moments after protesters stormed police barricades outside the Legislative Council, leading to the use of tear gas, beanbag rounds and rubber bullets. | The remarks by Commissioner Stephen Lo at a news conference came moments after protesters stormed police barricades outside the Legislative Council, leading to the use of tear gas, beanbag rounds and rubber bullets. |
| “If they are peaceful protesters, please leave,” Mr. Lo said. “If they are violent protesters, then please think twice because you might regret your decision for your entire life.” | “If they are peaceful protesters, please leave,” Mr. Lo said. “If they are violent protesters, then please think twice because you might regret your decision for your entire life.” |
| Mr. Lo said his officers had peacefully surrounded the legislature complex but would not permit demonstrators to cross over the barricade. He said it was the demonstrators who were the first to use force. | Mr. Lo said his officers had peacefully surrounded the legislature complex but would not permit demonstrators to cross over the barricade. He said it was the demonstrators who were the first to use force. |
| “In terms of using violence, we have guidelines that we are following,” he said, adding that “I think we should all remember who initially started the protest.” | “In terms of using violence, we have guidelines that we are following,” he said, adding that “I think we should all remember who initially started the protest.” |
| The Beijing-backed leader of Hong Kong condemned Wednesday’s violence, and gave no indication that she would stop pushing ahead with the proposed legislation that set off the protests. | The Beijing-backed leader of Hong Kong condemned Wednesday’s violence, and gave no indication that she would stop pushing ahead with the proposed legislation that set off the protests. |
| “It is very clear that this is no longer a peaceful assembly but a public and organized riot,” Carrie Lam, the territory’s chief executive, said in an interview with a local television station. “And it is impossible that this is action that loves and protects Hong Kong.” | “It is very clear that this is no longer a peaceful assembly but a public and organized riot,” Carrie Lam, the territory’s chief executive, said in an interview with a local television station. “And it is impossible that this is action that loves and protects Hong Kong.” |
| She urged the public to help restore order in Hong Kong and to resolve differences peacefully. | She urged the public to help restore order in Hong Kong and to resolve differences peacefully. |
| Earlier Wednesday and in a separate interview recorded before the protests turned violent, Ms. Lam was steadfast in her commitment to seeing the extradition bill passed and compared the protesters to spoiled children, | Earlier Wednesday and in a separate interview recorded before the protests turned violent, Ms. Lam was steadfast in her commitment to seeing the extradition bill passed and compared the protesters to spoiled children, |
| “I have never felt a guilty conscience over this,” Ms. Lam said in the interview, which was taped Wednesday morning but aired in the evening after a day of protests. “I continue to hold fast to the belief that it is the right thing to do,” she told the Hong Kong broadcaster TVB, regarding the extradition bill. | “I have never felt a guilty conscience over this,” Ms. Lam said in the interview, which was taped Wednesday morning but aired in the evening after a day of protests. “I continue to hold fast to the belief that it is the right thing to do,” she told the Hong Kong broadcaster TVB, regarding the extradition bill. |
| In her remarks, she compared the protesters — many of whom are young — to stubborn children who did not know better. | In her remarks, she compared the protesters — many of whom are young — to stubborn children who did not know better. |
| “To draw a comparison, I’m a mother too, I have two sons,” she said. “If my son was stubborn and I spoiled him and tolerated his stubborn behavior every time, I would just be going along with him.” | “To draw a comparison, I’m a mother too, I have two sons,” she said. “If my son was stubborn and I spoiled him and tolerated his stubborn behavior every time, I would just be going along with him.” |
| The widespread public outrage over the bill puts Ms. Lam, who was selected by China’s leaders to govern the territory two years ago, in a delicate position. Backing down risks making her look weak and drawing the ire of her party benefactors, who back the bill, but moving ahead with the vote on the proposal could incite even more protests and unrest. | The widespread public outrage over the bill puts Ms. Lam, who was selected by China’s leaders to govern the territory two years ago, in a delicate position. Backing down risks making her look weak and drawing the ire of her party benefactors, who back the bill, but moving ahead with the vote on the proposal could incite even more protests and unrest. |
| Small businesses across Hong Kong closed their shops in solidarity with the protesters. A hotel chain offered rooms where protesters could shower and rest free of charge. At some other companies, managers let employees leave work to join the demonstrations, and union leaders told members to find creative ways to participate without calling for a strike, that included the drivers at one bus company pledging to drive below the speed limit. | Small businesses across Hong Kong closed their shops in solidarity with the protesters. A hotel chain offered rooms where protesters could shower and rest free of charge. At some other companies, managers let employees leave work to join the demonstrations, and union leaders told members to find creative ways to participate without calling for a strike, that included the drivers at one bus company pledging to drive below the speed limit. |
| A teachers’ union encouraged members to stage walkouts and explain to young students what was happening. “This is a critical moment for Hong Kong,” the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union said in a post on Facebook. “Educators have to uphold the responsibility of protecting conscience, and the sense of right and wrong. The union understands how striking would affect the operations of schools and sincerely asks the schools to understand.” | A teachers’ union encouraged members to stage walkouts and explain to young students what was happening. “This is a critical moment for Hong Kong,” the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union said in a post on Facebook. “Educators have to uphold the responsibility of protecting conscience, and the sense of right and wrong. The union understands how striking would affect the operations of schools and sincerely asks the schools to understand.” |
| But Hong Kong’s most powerful voices, those of the large international banks that have long made the city a global financial hub, have remained largely quiet on the issue of extradition. | But Hong Kong’s most powerful voices, those of the large international banks that have long made the city a global financial hub, have remained largely quiet on the issue of extradition. |
| “The extradition bill is worrying because for business it starts to call into question whether there is now a blurred line between politics and business in a city that views itself as a commercial capital that puts business first,” said Tara Joseph, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. | “The extradition bill is worrying because for business it starts to call into question whether there is now a blurred line between politics and business in a city that views itself as a commercial capital that puts business first,” said Tara Joseph, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. |
| While the international business community has mainly worried behind boardroom doors, more than a thousand small local Hong Kong businesses closed their doors on Wednesday. | While the international business community has mainly worried behind boardroom doors, more than a thousand small local Hong Kong businesses closed their doors on Wednesday. |
| On Instagram hundreds of coffee shops, restaurants and other businesses posted pictures with the hashtag “#612strike.” One online floral company called Floraholic wrote, “Hong Kong is sick, let’s take a day off for some rest! #NoChinaExtradition #612罷市.” | On Instagram hundreds of coffee shops, restaurants and other businesses posted pictures with the hashtag “#612strike.” One online floral company called Floraholic wrote, “Hong Kong is sick, let’s take a day off for some rest! #NoChinaExtradition #612罷市.” |
| “Striking is the only action we could take,” said Yanki Lam, the owner of a shop in the Kowloon district of the city. | “Striking is the only action we could take,” said Yanki Lam, the owner of a shop in the Kowloon district of the city. |
| The measure that set off the protests would allow Hong Kong to detain and transfer people wanted in countries and territories with which it has no formal extradition agreements, including Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. | The measure that set off the protests would allow Hong Kong to detain and transfer people wanted in countries and territories with which it has no formal extradition agreements, including Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. |
| Ms. Lam, the Hong Kong chief executive, has said the new law is urgently needed to prosecute a Hong Kong man who is wanted in Taiwan for the murder of his girlfriend. But the authorities in Taiwan, a self-governed island claimed by Beijing, say they would not agree to the extradition arrangement because it would treat Taiwan as part of China. | Ms. Lam, the Hong Kong chief executive, has said the new law is urgently needed to prosecute a Hong Kong man who is wanted in Taiwan for the murder of his girlfriend. But the authorities in Taiwan, a self-governed island claimed by Beijing, say they would not agree to the extradition arrangement because it would treat Taiwan as part of China. |
| Critics contend that the law would allow virtually anyone in the city to be picked up and put on trial in mainland China, where judges must follow the orders of the Communist Party. They fear the new law would not just target criminals but political activists as well. | Critics contend that the law would allow virtually anyone in the city to be picked up and put on trial in mainland China, where judges must follow the orders of the Communist Party. They fear the new law would not just target criminals but political activists as well. |
| The extradition plan applies to 37 crimes. That excludes political ones, but critics fear the legislation would essentially legalize the sort of abductions to the mainland that have taken place in Hong Kong in recent years. The mainland Chinese authorities are typically not permitted to operate in the semiautonomous territory. | The extradition plan applies to 37 crimes. That excludes political ones, but critics fear the legislation would essentially legalize the sort of abductions to the mainland that have taken place in Hong Kong in recent years. The mainland Chinese authorities are typically not permitted to operate in the semiautonomous territory. |
| Mike Ives, Tiffany May, Katherine Li, Alexandra Stevenson, Russell Goldman, Gillian Wong and Daniel Victor contributed reporting. | Mike Ives, Tiffany May, Katherine Li, Alexandra Stevenson, Russell Goldman, Gillian Wong and Daniel Victor contributed reporting. |