The Hong Kong Police on Monday fired tear gas and rubber bullets during fresh clashes with protestors after a general strike that left hundreds of people stranded at the airport, Reuters reported. Several key roads have been blocked too.
The protestors hurled umbrellas and other items at the police in the residential district of Wong Tai Sin. The officers responded with pepper spray and also fired tear gas as tensions rose.
Commuters struggled to get to work in the rush hour before Lam spoke. Rail and bus services were also suspended by activists who blocked trains from leaving stations. Hundreds of people were stranded at the airport, where more than 200 flights were reported to be cancelled at one point.
The Airport Express train services were also temporarily suspended.
The latest protests reportedly surpassed all the earlier ones in its scale and intensity. The city’s chief executive and Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam warned that the city was on the verge of an “extremely dangerous situation” and said it represented a challenge to mainland China’s sovereignty.
The protests had initially been organised to oppose a bill that would have allowed extraditions to China. The protests have now continued for nine consecutive weekends and evolved into a backlash against the city’s government and its political masters in Beijing.
Lam rejected calls from protestors for her resignation, and said the government would be resolute in maintaining law and order. “They claim they want a revolution and to restore Hong Kong,” Lam was quoted as saying by Reuters. “These actions have far exceeded their original political demands.”
The government has refused to accept any of the protestors’ main demands, which include a complete withdrawal of the extradition bill besides an independent inquiry into the use of excessive police force against the demonstrators.
However, demonstrators accused Lam of fuelling the crisis by ignoring public sentiment, and pledged to continue their movement.
Authorities said 420 people have been arrested over the anti-government protests since June 9, while the police have fired 1,000 rounds of tear gas and about 160 rubber bullets, Reuters reported.
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