Text: Jerome Taylor and Elaine Yu. Photography: Kris Cheng.
Police fought with protesters in Hong Kong early Monday, using batons
and pepper spray as they tried to clear demonstrators from the city’s
parliament after massive crowds marched against plans to allow
extraditions to China.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Protesters hurled bottles and used metal barricades as police moved
in on a small group who had vowed to stay outside the legislature
overnight, an AFP reporter on the scene said.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
At least one police officer could be seen with blood streaming down his face.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
The melees began shortly after midnight following a day that had seen
a huge peaceful protest make its way through the city without incident.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Organisers said more than a million people marched in blazing summer
heat through the cramped streets of the financial hub’s main island on
Sunday in a noisy, colourful demonstration calling on the government to
scrap its planned extradition law.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Small groups of young protesters had planned to stay outside the
city’s legislature until Wednesday when the extradition bill is due to
have its second reading.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
But police moved in on them after their permission to protest expired at midnight.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Within minutes scenes of chaos unfolded as protesters fought with officers who were soon backed by riot police.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Live television images showed officers deploying pepper spray hoses to push the crowds back.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
The scenes were reminiscent of 2014 when police used tear gas to
disperse pro-democracy demonstrators outside the same building, sparking
public anger and setting off two months of demonstrations that took
over key intersections of the international finance hub.
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