Man in critical condition after Hong Kong's weekend of violence

Scores injured, over 300 held as China calls for tougher stance to end prolonged unrest

Riot police inside a shopping mall in Hong Kong during clashes with anti-government protesters last Sunday. Twelve police officers were also injured during the weekend clashes, with more than 300 people ranging from 14 to 54 years of age arrested bet
Riot police inside a shopping mall in Hong Kong during clashes with anti-government protesters last Sunday. Twelve police officers were also injured during the weekend clashes, with more than 300 people ranging from 14 to 54 years of age arrested between Friday and Sunday, police said. PHOTO: DPA

HONG KONG • Scores of people were injured in Hong Kong during a chaotic weekend of anti-government protests that left one man in critical condition, the authorities said yesterday, as China called for a tougher stance to end months of unrest.

Riot police stormed several shopping malls packed with families and children last Sunday, following one of the worst days of violence as police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and a water cannon at crowds of black-clad demonstrators across the Chinese-ruled financial hub last Saturday.

In one bloody incident outside a mall in the suburb of Taikoo Shing last Sunday, several people were slashed in a knife attack and a politician had part of his ear bitten off.

The wounded included a man believed to be the knife-wielder, whom protesters had beaten with sticks. Police said they arrested three men involved, including the suspected 48-year-old assailant.

The Hospital Authority told Reuters one person was in critical condition, with two others seriously hurt, among a total of 30 injuries from Sunday alone. Local media reported a life-threatening injury was sustained by a male student who fell from height, but details of the incident remained unclear. The head of the student's university called on the authorities to investigate the matter.

Twelve police officers were also injured during the weekend clashes, with more than 300 people ranging from 14 to 54 years of age arrested between Friday and Sunday, police said.

While Hong Kong and its many businesses function normally during the week, many protests have sprung up spontaneously during weekends over the past five months.

Pro-democracy protesters are campaigning against what they see as Chinese meddling in the freedoms promised when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. China denies doing so, and has blamed Western countries for stirring up trouble.

Chinese state media called yesterday for a tougher line against the protesters who vandalised the local offices of state-run Xinhua news agency and other buildings, saying that the violence damaged the city's rule of law.

The city's Foreign Correspondents' Club expressed grave concern at the attack on Xinhua, stating that news organisations and journalists must be able to work freely in Hong Kong without fear.

More demonstrations are planned this week as protesters keep up pressure for demands that include an independent inquiry into police behaviour and universal suffrage.

"We really see that people are very heavy-hearted. They don't know what is going to happen tonight or maybe the next weekend. And there is a lot of worry," pro-democracy lawmaker Charles Mok told Reuters.

Protesters have circulated plans on social media to mark Guy Fawkes Day today by putting on now-banned face masks in areas around Hong Kong.

Many people taking to the streets in recent weeks have worn the white, smiling Guy Fawkes masks made popular by anti-establishment hackers and by the film V For Vendetta. The masks have also become common at protests globally, including in Britain and across the United States.

Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam invoked colonial-era emergency powers last month for the first time in more than 50 years, banning face masks in a move to quell the protests.

But protesters have largely ignored the ruling and worn masks.

The protests have divided Hong Kong and undermined its economy, with the police coming in for particular scrutiny.

Police cancelled a planned press conference yesterday after several journalists from the public broadcaster and other local media turned up wearing helmets with signs that said "investigate police brutality" and "stop police lies", and then refused to leave when asked by officials.

"We are not protesting...We are just using our clothes...to urge the police to change and stop the violence against the journalists," said Mr Ronson Chan of online news site The Stand News.

Police said the journalists' actions were "disrespectful" and "deprived the public of access to important information".

Local media associations have condemned what they describe as a heavy-handed approach by the police towards journalists, while officers have said they are responding to an escalating cycle of violence in five months of protests.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 05, 2019, with the headline Man in critical condition after Hong Kong's weekend of violence. Subscribe