Hong Kong gripped by protests for 15th weekend

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Hong Kong gripped by protests for 15th weekendHong Kong gripped by protests for 15th weekend

What started as peaceful rallies, descended into violence again.
Hong Kong has now witnessed 15 weekends of illegal protests against the government.
CGTN’s Gerald Tan has the details.

For weeks, they have flouted the law banning assemblies. Sunday was no different.

Protesters vandalized entrances to train stations; blocked roads illegally; and halted traffic in many areas across Hong Kong.

Some hurled bricks and petrol bombs at police officers guarding the Central Government Offices and set fire in multiple locations.

The police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Water cannon fired blue jets of water to try to push back the crowds and restore order.

As sentiment boiled over, the violence not just directed at those in uniform.

A video circulating on social media show a man overwhelmed by a mob; reports later saying he survived the attack.

The Hong Kong regional government swiftly issued a statement, saying: “Police express severe condemnation against such violent acts which disregarded law and order. Police will continue to take resolute enforcement actions so as to safeguard the city’s public safety and bring all lawbreakers to justice.”

Demonstrators are rallying Britain and the U.S. to intervene, but China has warned foreign powers to stay out of its internal affairs.

As weekends in Hong Kong increasingly become the scene of battlegrounds, downtown businesses are taking a hit.

And passenger traffic at Hong Kong International Airport, a vital Asian hub, reported the largest passenger decline in a decade in August.