“We sprayed the traffic light because we don’t want traffic to work tomorrow and we don’t want citizens to
go to work,” said one protester who was clad from head to toe in black.
The protesters, who accuse the Chinese Communist Party of encroaching on their liberties, have adopted
flash tactics, shifting quickly from place to place to evade capture and using online platforms such as
Telegram to direct hundreds of people.
After a rally in the island’s Western district, where thousands of people gathered yesterday to urge
authorities to listen to public demands, police fired tear gas to disperse protesters. Some demonstrations
finished peacefully, but the activists then blocked roads in the town of Tseung Kwan O, setting up
barricades.
They also stopped traffic from entering the Cross Harbour Tunnel linking Hong Kong island and the
Kowloon peninsula. Clad in yellow helmets and black face masks, protesters in the upmarket area of
Causeway Bay on the island faced more tear gas.
The gas beat back most of the crowd but some protesters threw canisters back at officers and hurled objects.
Some jeered “gangsters” at the police line. Police said earlier that they had arrested more than 20 people for
offences including unlawful assembly and assault after marches on Saturday turned into now-routine
standoffs with officers.
Residents in one neighbourhood joined forces with protesters to surround a police station, yelling at riot
police to leave. The activists want an independent investigation into complaints of police abuse and the
government response to an attack at a railway station that injured 44 people.
They also want Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to resign, even though she suspended the bill on extradition
to China that initially sparked the protests. Fears over Chinese influence in Hong Kong have been further
fuelled by the arrests of booksellers.
Hong Kong’s government said the violence and illegal protests were pushing the city to an extremely
dangerous edge. A statement said the unrest would harm Hong Kong’s society and economic livelihood.
China’s official news agency, Xinhua, said: “The central government will not sit idly by and let this situation
continue. We firmly believe Hong Kong will be able to overcome the difficulties and challenges ahead.”
The protests in the former British colony present the biggest popular challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping
in his seven years in power. “Even if Carrie Lam resigns, its still not resolved. It’s all about the Communist
Party, the Chinese government,” said Angie, a 24-year-old activist.
Additional reporting by agencies