Riyaz Patel
Hong Kong has been rocked by more unrest after anti-China protesters faced off with riot police.
Photos and videos of the street skirmishes show police using tear gas in an attempt to disperse brick-throwing demonstrators.
Heavy rain didn’t stop protesters from marching through the city Sunday, a day after a similar rally turned violent and led to more than two dozen arrests.
Restrictions were reportedly placed on public transport to stop activists from assembling, but thousands of protesters still managed to rendezvous at a sports stadium and march through the city’s Tsuen Wan district.
Demonstrators were seen digging up bricks from the street to use as projectiles, as police deployed tear gas to restore public order. Police had earlier warned that they would conduct a “dispersal operation” and urged demonstrators to leave.
Protestors also aimed strong light beams at police officers and set up barricades.
Photographs and videos show bricks and rocks strewn across Kong Kong’s streets as protesters clashed with law enforcement. Tear gas and water cannons were also used to clear barricades that had been erected by the protesters.
Sunday’s violence marks the twelfth week of unrest in the semi-autonomous territory, after demonstrations aimed at preventing a now-suspended extradition bill with China morphed into protests against China’s overall sovereignty over Hong Kong.
Beijing has accused Washington of providing direct and indirect support for the demonstrations that have rocked the semi-autonomous region since March.
China’s Foreign Ministry office in Hong Kong recently issued a statement alleging that the US is “conspiring with radical criminal elements” in the territory.
