Hong Kong police on Sunday toughened their crowd control measures, pushing back forcefully with tear gas and water cannons against pro-democracy protesters as tensions continue to spike ahead of China’s National Day celebrations on Tuesday.
Running street battles with the riot police began in the early afternoon after thousands of demonstrators descended on Hong Kong’s normally crowded central shopping district of Causeway Bay for an unauthorised march.
Chaos and violence broke out as protests against Beijing’s rule gripped the city for the 17th consecutive weekend, in what began as a movement against a controversial mainland extradition bill but has now morphed into a wider cry for democracy and universal suffrage.
The civil unrest has intensified in recent days as protesters become more determined to amplify their message ahead of the Chinese Communist Party’s highly choreographed events to mark the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.
Although Sunday’s march drew thousands of peaceful participants, it quickly took an aggressive turn as police stopped and searched a number of young people dressed in black and fired tear gas before the planned 3pm start time, sending panicked shoppers and protesters fleeing.
Tyrone Siu/Reuters
The remaining crowds, some holding “Chinazi” flags, combining the words China and Nazi, chanted insults at the riot police, shouting “triads!” and “you are not even a Hong Konger, go back to Mainland China.”
Violent clashes spread out across the city centre as the demonstrations moved towards the government and financial districts and a small, hardcore group of black-clad protesters smashed the glass window of a train station and hurled Molotov cocktails.
Riot officers tried to clear the streets by firing rubber bullets, tear gas and blue dye from water cannons – the latter aiming to stain protesters to make them easier to identify later. Journalists and a local politician were also targeted during several rounds of pepper spray and a during one confrontation a live warning shot was reportedly fired in the air.
Multiple arrests were made during the mayhem, with The Telegraph counting at least 30 within the space of a few hours.
As Beijing’s key anniversary approaches, the Hong Kong police have also increased stop and search operations at subway stations and on public transport, focussing on citizens wearing black, the colour of the protests.
After four months of the worst political unrest since Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997, demonstrators still seem determined to defy Beijing and secure their freedoms.
Vincent Yu/AP
“I have no idea what will be the next stage, but what the government is doing now is definitely wrong. It affects me, it affects the next generation, and others.” said Winnie Tang, 22, a university student. “We need to do something…many of us now understand that we have freedom of speech, and the government can’t limit our rights.”
Meanwhile on Sunday, thousands rallied in Sydney and Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, to support Hong Kong and kick off a day of global "anti-totalitarianism" demonstrations.
In Taiwan, a democracy of 23 million which Beijing claims as its own, thousands braved torrential rain as they marched with “No China” posters and chanted “Taiwan with Hong Kong! Free Hong Kong!”
“I think the biggest fear of the Taiwanese people is that we don’t want the Chinese government to take control [of us] because they are not free, they are authoritarian and they don’t care about people’s opinions,” said one participant, Ching, 23, who runs her own fashion business.
“Whenever something happens in Hong Kong, there is always a slogan saying today Hong Kong, tomorrow Taiwan.”