This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/21/pro-china-supporters-tear-down-hong-kongs-lennon-walls

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Hong Kong riot police fire teargas at protesters as unrest continues Riot police fire teargas at Hong Kong protesters as unrest escalates
(about 4 hours later)
Hong Kong riot police have fired teargas and charged towards protesters at an out-of-town district in Hong Kong as groups of pro-China supporters ripped anti-government protest messages from “Lennon Walls” across the city, raising the curtain for another weekend of unrest in the three-month political crisis. Hong Kong riot police have fired teargas, sponge rounds and arrested a number of protesters as peaceful demonstrations in several districts turned ugly at the end of the 15th week of unrest in the city’s drawn-out political crisis.
The police-sanctioned demonstration attended by thousands in Tuen Mun on Saturday afternoon was mostly peaceful but erupted into violent conflicts between protesters and riot police officers armed with teargas, pepper spray and long shields. Police fired teargas at protesters and dismantled makeshift barricades set up by protesters with plastic and metal roadside barriers while protesters threw petrol bombs in retaliation. Police said in Twitter posts that “radical protesters threw petrol bombs” and possessed “offensive weapons including metal rods, slingshots and laser guns” during the confrontations. The police-sanctioned demonstration attended by thousands in Tuen Mun on Saturday afternoon was initially peaceful but latererupted into violent conflicts between protesters and riot police armed with teargas, pepper spray and shields. Police moved in to dismantle makeshift barricades set up by demonstrators, while protesters retaliated by throwing petrol bombs and setting some of the barricades on fire.
About an hour into the protest, riot police charged towards a group of protesters and arrested a number of people. Many others got into a stand-off with police behind barricades they built earlier. Police said on Twitter that “radical protesters” possessed “offensive weapons including metal rods, slingshots and laser guns” during the confrontations.
Scuffles also broke out between the police and protesters near a light rail station after some demonstrators were accused of shining laser pointers at officers. They used fire hoses to spray water while police retaliated with pepper spray and fired several rounds of sponge bullets at them. Police said in a Twitter post that the protesters damaged the station facilities with metal rods and hurled objects into the track. The Hong Kong government issued a statement shortly after midnight condemning the protester’s “violent and vandalistic acts”. It said the police would act to restore public order.
Scuffles also broke out between the police and protesters near a light-rail station after demonstrators were accused of shining laser pointers at officers. They used fire hoses to spray water while police retaliated with pepper spray and fired several rounds of sponge bullets at them. Police later said on Twitter that the protesters had damaged station facilities with metal rods and hurled objects on to the tracks.
Hong Kong protests: tech war opens up with doxxing of protesters and policeHong Kong protests: tech war opens up with doxxing of protesters and police
Earlier, protesters near Tuen Mun town hall lowered the Chinese flag, trampled on it and set it on fire.Earlier, protesters near Tuen Mun town hall lowered the Chinese flag, trampled on it and set it on fire.
The Saturday protest earlier in the afternoon targeted dance performances in a local park often staged by mostly mainland Chinese women but protesters were also venting their anger over escalating police violence in recent protests and calling for broader political rights. Another demonstration started in the evening in the Yuen Long district to mark an indiscriminate attack carried out by pro-China gangsters on commuters at the local station two months ago.
“Five demands, not one less!” chanted the mostly black-clad protesters, referring to their demands which include the setting up of an independent commission to investigate police brutality and universal suffrage. They also sang songs aimed at provoking the police. The protest, originally planned as a sit-in at the metro station, could not take place there after the city’s transit operator, MTR Corp, closed the station in the afternoon. But from around 8pm local time, hundreds of protesters filled the neighbouring shopping centre, chanted slogans and sang “Glory to Hong Kong” – an unofficial anthem of the protest movement.
The atmosphere turned tense by late night after some demonstrators ventured out of the shopping complex and set up barricades on main thoroughfares in the area, bringing traffic to a standstill. Police flashed strong lights at protesters, who yelled profanities at officers from a footbridge. The crowds and police then got into a cat-and-mouse game across different streets in the area. Some protesters threw petrol bombs at police vehicles, before riot police charged at protesters and used teargas in retaliation.
“Reclaim Hong Kong! Revolution of our era!” many protesters chanted, as they refused to leave the area despite the clouds of teargas and detention of demonstrators by officers.
Meanwhile, dozens gathered on Sunday night outside the Prince Edward metro station in the Mong Kok district, where many believed people died when police attacked protesters and commuters inside a train carriage on 31 August. Some burned funeral offerings while others sang and chanted slogans.
Earlier this month, the Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, withdrew the controversial anti-extradition bill that sparked the wave of protests in June, but the move failed to calm unrest.Earlier this month, the Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, withdrew the controversial anti-extradition bill that sparked the wave of protests in June, but the move failed to calm unrest.
The protests had by then morphed into a wider and more violent anti-government movement as resentment mounted against the police and the government, which used threats and escalating force to deal with protesters. The bill, if passed, would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial.The protests had by then morphed into a wider and more violent anti-government movement as resentment mounted against the police and the government, which used threats and escalating force to deal with protesters. The bill, if passed, would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial.
The local metro station was closed by the authorities before the event on Saturday, making it harder for protesters to reach and leave the area. The city’s transit operator, MTR Corp, has also closed the train station at Yuen Long, where a sit-in was planned earlier to commemorate an indiscriminate attack carried out by pro-China gangsters on commuters two months ago. Earlier on Saturday, dozens of pro-China supporters tore down “Lennon Walls” of large collages of colourful anti-government protest messages in several districts. Earlier on Saturday, dozens of pro-China supporters tore down “Lennon Walls” of large collages of colourful anti-government protest messages in several districts.
The installations have blossomed across Hong Kong, on and under footbridges, along pedestrian walkways, at bus stops and shopping centres. A pro-Beijing city legislator, Junius Ho, who has been a vocal critic of the protests, had urged his supporters to clean up the approximately 100 Lennon Walls around the city on Saturday.The installations have blossomed across Hong Kong, on and under footbridges, along pedestrian walkways, at bus stops and shopping centres. A pro-Beijing city legislator, Junius Ho, who has been a vocal critic of the protests, had urged his supporters to clean up the approximately 100 Lennon Walls around the city on Saturday.
The anti-government protesters are angry about what they see as creeping interference by Beijing on Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” formula that ensures freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including the right of assembly and an independent judiciary.The anti-government protesters are angry about what they see as creeping interference by Beijing on Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” formula that ensures freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including the right of assembly and an independent judiciary.
China says it is committed to the arrangement and denies interfering. It has accused foreign governments including the US and Britain, of inciting the unrest. The demonstrations have turned ugly and tend to peak on the weekends, often with anti-government activists, many masked and in black, throwing petrol bombs at police, trashing metro stations, blocking airport roads and lighting street fires. At times, they have been confronted by counter-protesters who support Beijing. Additional reporting by Reuters
The demonstrations have turned ugly and tend to peak on the weekends, often with anti-government activists, many masked and in black, throwing petrol bombs at police, trashing metro stations, blocking airport roads and lighting street fires. At times, they have been confronted by supporters of Beijing wielding sticks. Additional reporting by Reuters
Hong KongHong Kong
Asia PacificAsia Pacific
ChinaChina
ProtestProtest
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content