Chaos and defiance as police storm campus

Above: People fleeing from tear gas while trying to re-enter the PolyU campus after a failed attempt to leave during clashes with police. PHOTO: REUTERS Right: Young people detained by police near the PolyU campus in Hong Kong's Hung Hom district. PH
Protesters trying to find safe passage out of the PolyU campus as police moved in to make arrests in Hung Hom district. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Above: People fleeing from tear gas while trying to re-enter the PolyU campus after a failed attempt to leave during clashes with police. PHOTO: REUTERS Right: Young people detained by police near the PolyU campus in Hong Kong's Hung Hom district. PH
Police detaining a young woman near The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) yesterday. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Above: People fleeing from tear gas while trying to re-enter the PolyU campus after a failed attempt to leave during clashes with police. PHOTO: REUTERS Right: Young people detained by police near the PolyU campus in Hong Kong's Hung Hom district. PH
People fleeing from tear gas while trying to re-enter the PolyU campus after a failed attempt to leave during clashes with police.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Above: People fleeing from tear gas while trying to re-enter the PolyU campus after a failed attempt to leave during clashes with police. PHOTO: REUTERS Right: Young people detained by police near the PolyU campus in Hong Kong's Hung Hom district. PH
Young people detained by police near the PolyU campus in Hong Kong’s Hung Hom district. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Right: Passers-by affected by tear gas during clashes between police and protesters in the Tsim Sha Tsui district yesterday. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Passers-by affected by tear gas during clashes between police and protesters in the Tsim Sha Tsui district yesterday. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Above: People fleeing from tear gas while trying to re-enter the PolyU campus after a failed attempt to leave during clashes with police. PHOTO: REUTERS Right: Young people detained by police near the PolyU campus in Hong Kong's Hung Hom district. PH
People being escorted by police out of the PolyU campus last night. PHOTO: REUTERS
Above: People fleeing from tear gas while trying to re-enter the PolyU campus after a failed attempt to leave during clashes with police. PHOTO: REUTERS Right: Young people detained by police near the PolyU campus in Hong Kong's Hung Hom district. PH
Protesters on a campus footbridge lowering themselves with a rope onto a highway to flee the campus last night. Some managed to escape before police found out and fired tear gas. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

MORNING

Police yesterday laid siege to The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), firing rubber bullets and tear gas to pin back anti-government protesters armed with petrol bombs and other weapons.

PolyU student union acting president Ken Woo said some 600 people were still inside the campus and he believed about 70 to 100 intended to leave, but were pushed back as police fired volleys of tear gas. Police arrested some who were fleeing.

AFTERNOON

Chaos erupted in Kowloon where police fired tear gas and sponge bullets when protesters advanced towards them.

Police also deployed water cannon in Chatham Road South - in Tsim Sha Tsui - which is just to the south of the PolyU campus. As police fired tear gas, protesters hurled petrol bombs. Some protesters also set up roadblocks with bamboo sticks and metal barriers.

NIGHT

Dozens of injured people were taken out of the PolyU campus by paramedics, but not before they gave their personal information to riot police.

Some protesters meanwhile escaped by abseiling down about 8m from a campus footbridge to a highway and were picked up by motorcycles and whisked away.

Police soon found out about the escape and fired tear gas, and some protesters responded by shooting arrows at officers.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 19, 2019, with the headline Chaos and defiance as police storm campus. Subscribe