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| Hong Kong Protests: Hundreds Arrested at a University and a Warning from Beijing | Hong Kong Protests: Hundreds Arrested at a University and a Warning from Beijing |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| About 100 protesters remained holed up inside a Hong Kong university on Tuesday, as a standoff between the students and the police stretched into a third day. | About 100 protesters remained holed up inside a Hong Kong university on Tuesday, as a standoff between the students and the police stretched into a third day. |
| Hundreds more who had spent days clashing with the police were detained after heavily armed officers surrounded the school and gave the protesters few options but to surrender and face arrest. Nevertheless, a number of students managed a daring escape, rappelling from a nearby bridge to be whisked away by waiting motorbike drivers. | Hundreds more who had spent days clashing with the police were detained after heavily armed officers surrounded the school and gave the protesters few options but to surrender and face arrest. Nevertheless, a number of students managed a daring escape, rappelling from a nearby bridge to be whisked away by waiting motorbike drivers. |
| As much of the territory remained gripped by the drama at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the central government in Beijing on Tuesday condemned a decision by a Hong Kong court that overturned a ban on face masks worn by the protesters. | As much of the territory remained gripped by the drama at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the central government in Beijing on Tuesday condemned a decision by a Hong Kong court that overturned a ban on face masks worn by the protesters. |
| The Hong Kong protests began in June over legislation, since scrapped, that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, and have expanded to include a broad range of demands for police accountability and greater democracy. | The Hong Kong protests began in June over legislation, since scrapped, that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, and have expanded to include a broad range of demands for police accountability and greater democracy. |
| Here’s the latest: | Here’s the latest: |
| Protesters armed with firebombs, bows and arrows and giant homemade slingshots clashed with the police for three days in the most violent confrontation yet in a half year of protests. The battle at the PolyU, in which the police fired hundreds of cans of tear gas and rubber bullets, represented the police force’s most direct intervention yet onto one of the city’s university campuses. | Protesters armed with firebombs, bows and arrows and giant homemade slingshots clashed with the police for three days in the most violent confrontation yet in a half year of protests. The battle at the PolyU, in which the police fired hundreds of cans of tear gas and rubber bullets, represented the police force’s most direct intervention yet onto one of the city’s university campuses. |
| As of Tuesday morning, 600 protesters have left the campus, Carrie Lam, the territory’s chief executive, said at a news conference. | As of Tuesday morning, 600 protesters have left the campus, Carrie Lam, the territory’s chief executive, said at a news conference. |
| Of those 600 protesters, 400 were above the age of 18 and immediately arrested. An additional 200 minors were stopped by the police but were not arrested on the spot. Those minors may still face arrest pending further investigation, she said. | Of those 600 protesters, 400 were above the age of 18 and immediately arrested. An additional 200 minors were stopped by the police but were not arrested on the spot. Those minors may still face arrest pending further investigation, she said. |
| Arrestees could be charged with rioting, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. | Arrestees could be charged with rioting, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. |
| Mrs. Lam said the “special arrangements” that had been made for minors were intended to achieve “a peaceful and reconciliatory resolution.” | Mrs. Lam said the “special arrangements” that had been made for minors were intended to achieve “a peaceful and reconciliatory resolution.” |
| “The Polytechnic University campus has been seized for quite some time already and we are extremely worried about the dangerous situation in the campus,” Mrs. Lam said. | “The Polytechnic University campus has been seized for quite some time already and we are extremely worried about the dangerous situation in the campus,” Mrs. Lam said. |
| A number of protesters on Tuesday, including several wrapped in emergency Mylar blankets, waited to to be taken to a hospital. Some of the protesters appeared to be suffering the effects of hypothermia after they had been struck by a stinging dye that had been shot from a police water cannon. | A number of protesters on Tuesday, including several wrapped in emergency Mylar blankets, waited to to be taken to a hospital. Some of the protesters appeared to be suffering the effects of hypothermia after they had been struck by a stinging dye that had been shot from a police water cannon. |
| In Beijing, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress took the unusual step of criticizing a Hong Kong’s court ruling that struck down a contentious ban on the wearing of face masks in public, effectively saying that the central government alone has the authority to rule on constitutional issues in the territory. | In Beijing, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress took the unusual step of criticizing a Hong Kong’s court ruling that struck down a contentious ban on the wearing of face masks in public, effectively saying that the central government alone has the authority to rule on constitutional issues in the territory. |
| The Hong Kong High Court found that the ban, enacted in October, violated the territory’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law. In a statement released on Tuesday, a spokesman for the standing committee warned that the ruling “seriously weakened the lawful governing power” of the Hong Kong government. | The Hong Kong High Court found that the ban, enacted in October, violated the territory’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law. In a statement released on Tuesday, a spokesman for the standing committee warned that the ruling “seriously weakened the lawful governing power” of the Hong Kong government. |
| The National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislative body, has the authority to interpret legal matters involving national issues — and to change the Basic Law itself — but the timing of the ruling raised new fears of Beijing’s efforts to erode the territory’s autonomy. | The National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislative body, has the authority to interpret legal matters involving national issues — and to change the Basic Law itself — but the timing of the ruling raised new fears of Beijing’s efforts to erode the territory’s autonomy. |
| “When the state loses, she changes the rules of game,” Joshua Wong, a prominent opposition leader, wrote on Twitter. “Beijing never intends to play by the rules.” | “When the state loses, she changes the rules of game,” Joshua Wong, a prominent opposition leader, wrote on Twitter. “Beijing never intends to play by the rules.” |
| Article 158 of the Basic Law does, however, give the congress the final authority over interpreting whether the Basic Law conflicts with national law. It also calls on Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal to seek the legislature’s interpretation in considering cases whose legal significance extends to national issues. | Article 158 of the Basic Law does, however, give the congress the final authority over interpreting whether the Basic Law conflicts with national law. It also calls on Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal to seek the legislature’s interpretation in considering cases whose legal significance extends to national issues. |
| The statement suggested that Beijing was prepared to act decisively to restore the mask ban, but the implications could be much greater, showing that there are limits of the national government’s tolerance for an independent judicial system that has been a pillar of Hong Kong’s singular political and economic status. | The statement suggested that Beijing was prepared to act decisively to restore the mask ban, but the implications could be much greater, showing that there are limits of the national government’s tolerance for an independent judicial system that has been a pillar of Hong Kong’s singular political and economic status. |
| In another statement on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Chinese government’s office that handles Hong Kong affairs, Yang Guang, also criticized the court’s decision to overturn the ban, saying it had “a gravely negative social impact” and “brazenly challenged the authority of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and the governance powers of the chief executive conferred by the law.” | In another statement on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Chinese government’s office that handles Hong Kong affairs, Yang Guang, also criticized the court’s decision to overturn the ban, saying it had “a gravely negative social impact” and “brazenly challenged the authority of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and the governance powers of the chief executive conferred by the law.” |
| Hong Kong’s embattled police force, once regarded as “Asia’s finest,” has a new boss. | Hong Kong’s embattled police force, once regarded as “Asia’s finest,” has a new boss. |
| Tang Ping-keung, formerly the territory’s No. 2 police official, was named commissioner of police on Tuesday after approval from the central government in Beijing. | Tang Ping-keung, formerly the territory’s No. 2 police official, was named commissioner of police on Tuesday after approval from the central government in Beijing. |
| In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Mr. Tang blamed the public for tolerating the protests and in turn encouraging their violent acts. “If everyone had come out earlier to condemn the violence, society would not have turned into this state in five months,” he said. | In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Mr. Tang blamed the public for tolerating the protests and in turn encouraging their violent acts. “If everyone had come out earlier to condemn the violence, society would not have turned into this state in five months,” he said. |
| “We can only end the unrest with society’s condemnation, reflection by the rioters, plus our appropriate tactics,” he added. | “We can only end the unrest with society’s condemnation, reflection by the rioters, plus our appropriate tactics,” he added. |
| Mr. Tang also rejected a key demand of the protesters: setting up an independent commission to investigate police conduct during the protests. | Mr. Tang also rejected a key demand of the protesters: setting up an independent commission to investigate police conduct during the protests. |
| “Our staff might think they are being particularly targeted if the well-established mechanism is bypassed. We will be disappointed,” he told the Post. | “Our staff might think they are being particularly targeted if the well-established mechanism is bypassed. We will be disappointed,” he told the Post. |
| Katherine Li and Tiffany May contributed reporting. |