Hong Kong - Police fired tear gas and
rubber bullets while protesters hurled rocks during clashes in a
rural Hong Kong town on Saturday as several thousand activists
gathered to protest an attack by suspected triad gang members at
a train station last weekend.
Activists pushed ahead with the march in Yuen Long, scene of
the attack by club-wielding men, in spite of a refusal by police
to allow the protest on safety grounds.
Rocks and bottles were thrown by protesters, who built
barricades out of street furniture and umbrellas, creating
multiple stand-offs.
Police, widely criticised for failing to better protect the
public from last weekend's attack, responded on Sunday with tear
gas, rubber bullets and sponge grenades, a crowd control weapon.
While hundreds of protesters left the area as it grew dark.
several hundred more remained. Many were armed with sticks and
improvised shields made from wood, surf boards, cardboard and
other materials.
A fire extinguisher is thrown at riot police during a protest against the Yuen Long attacks. Picture: Tyrone Siu/Reuters
Earlier, Reuters witnesses saw a hard core group of
activists with small metal bats, metal and wooden poles and
slingshots moving against the tide.
Last Sunday, about 100 white-shirted men stormed the Yuen
Long mass-transit station hours after protesters marched through
central Hong Kong and defaced China's Liaison Office - the main
symbol of Beijing's authority over the former British colony.
The men attacked black-clad protesters returning from Hong
Kong island, passers-by, journalists and lawmakers with pipes
and clubs, leaving 45 people injured. Some of the men later fled
to Nam Pin Wai, a traditional walled village.
Demonstrators are seen at the train station during a protest against the Yuen Long attacks. Picture: Edgar Su/Reuters
"We are all waiting for the white shirts to come out. If
they want to fight us we are ready," said Harlem Lo, a protester
wearing a black T-shirt, who stood his ground despite riot
police attempts to clear the area.
"We’ll get revenge for the beatings if they come out," he
said.
On Sunday, a car was dented and its windows smashed near the
village.
A damaged car is seen during a protest against the Yuen Long attacks. Picture: Edgar Su/Reuters
Police, considered slow by protesters to respond last
Sunday, became a focus for Saturday's march.
"They failed the public," Kevin, a protester in a red
T-shirt, said of the police earlier in the afternoon, as he
stood outside the police station, gripping its gates.
"They deliberately let the triads beat up protesters to get
revenge on us ... We're here to teach them a lesson," he said,
as he shouted an obscenity at the police.
Police said on Sunday protesters used roadside fencing and
other street furniture to create roadblocks.
"Some hurled bricks and hard objects at police officers and
charged police cordon lines," police added in a statement.
A damaged car is seen during a protest against the Yuen Long attacks. Picture: Edgar Su/Reuters
PROTESTS INTENSIFY
The Yuen Long attack and the vandalism at the Liaison Office
marked new fronts in a protest movement that has intensified
over the last two months.
The protests, considered the most direct challenge to the
authority of China's President Xi Jinping, mushroomed on Friday
as thousands of activists thronged the arrivals halls of Hong
Kong international airport.
The protesters, initially demanding the scrapping of a bill
that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland courts for
trial, are now also seeking independent inquiries into police
use of force, the resignation of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and
full democratic reform - anathema to Beijing's Communist Party
leadership.
Protesters react to tear gas during a face-off with riot police in Yuen Long. Picture: Bobby Yip/AP
The crisis is exposing fissures in Lam's administration,
with police chiefs and rank-and-file officers enraged at an
apology over last weekend's attacks by her chief secretary on
Friday, apparently made without consultation.
The official, Matthew Cheung, said the government would not
shirk its responsibility "and the police's handling fell short
of residents' expectations".
Britain handed Hong Kong to China in 1997 amid guarantees
that its core freedoms and autonomy, including the right to
protest and an independent judiciary, would be protected under a
"one country, two systems" formula.
Many fear those rights are under threat as Beijing's reach
extends into the city.
Activists told Reuters they feared Saturday's protest would
turn violent, given anger among the protesters over last
Sunday's violence and a determination among some to challenge
villagers they believe are close to triad groups in the area.
"We are hoping for a peaceful night," said Neil, masked, in
his mid-20s, standing next to a friend who was strapping on a
hard hat. "We want Yuen Long to be safe and peaceful. But there
still might be trouble so we have to be prepared."
Several banks in the area did not open on Saturday and many
businesses were shuttered.