New protests against the pro-Chinese government in Hong Kong led to clashes yesterday with the police. The security forces shattered government critics with tear gas. The demonstrators had previously blocked an intersection. For the second day in a row, hundreds of people also occupied the arrival hall of the metropolis airport.
Already on Friday about 1,000 protesters had peacefully protested there, no flight was affected. Thousands of people walked the streets in several districts. For today, more protests are planned.
While the protests, which have been going on since June, were initially mainly supported by students, many older people are now joining. „We are very angry that the police arrested our young people,“ said a woman in her 60s. She had come to the rally because she was worried about the growing clashes between police and demonstrators. The demonstrators had only tried to protect themselves against police violence, she said.
The protests had ignited plans by Carrie Lam’s government for a bill to extradite defendants to China. Since mid-June, they have expanded and reached a climax on Monday with a general strike. This resulted in clashes with the police, who used tear gas and batons.
The former British Crown Colony of Hong Kong was granted special rights such as freedom of expression following its transfer to China in 1997. These see the government critics now at risk. The demonstrators demand the resignation of Prime Minister Lam. This last called to rest and reason and demanded that the violence must stop. The protests harmed Hong Kong’s economy and hit them „like a tsunami“.
