Riyaz Patel
The ongoing unrest in Hong Kong escalated Saturday when protesters in the autonomous area of 7.4 million people threw Molotov cocktails and bricks at police, with officers responding by firing tear gas and water cannon.
Scores of protesters, some clad in black fatigues and yellow helmets, jammed Hong Kong’s streets, marking the 13th consecutive weekend of anti-government demonstrations.
Police arrested a number of prominent pro-democracy activists and three lawmakers Friday, seeking to rein in a movement which started with anger over planned legislation allowing extraditions to mainland China.
It soon broadened into calls for democracy amid fears China is squeezing Hong Kong’s freedoms.
Beijing has consistently denied meddling in Hong Kong, which it says is an internal affair. It has denounced the protests, though, warning of the damage to the economy.
China has also accused foreign powers, particularly the United States and Britain, of fomenting the demonstrations and
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