A peaceful rally at a metro station in Hong Kong descended into a clash between protesters and police as the city entered the 11th week of anti-government demonstrations.To get more chinese news site, you can visit shine news official website.
Hundreds of people took part in a sit-in at the out-of-town Yuen Long metro station earlier on Wednesday in protest at a violent and indiscriminate attack on commuters and protesters there a month ago.
Dozens of men clad in white T-shirts rushed into the station late at night on 21 July and beat people both inside the station and on trains with canes and wooden sticks. Police were widely criticised for being absent during the attack.
The rally on Wednesday night passed without incident for about three hours until shortly before 10pm local time (1500 BST), when dozens of protesters confronted riot police standing guard outside the station and nearby villages.Protesters shone laser pointers at about 100 riot police armed with shields and guns, before the officers started charging towards them. Demonstrators placed bins and plastic traffic barriers on the road as barricades but the police swiftly removed them. As the police charged, protesters shouted: “Triads! Triads!”
Demonstrators then retreated to the metro station, pursued by large numbers of riot police. The police stopped outside the station as protesters used a fire hose to spray water and left oil and detergent on the floor in an apparent attempt to prevent the police from entering.
Makeshift barricades were then set up by protesters inside the station using bins, magazine stands and other objects, while walls, ceilings and ticket machines were hit rhythmically with umbrellas and other items.
At one point the atmosphere turned tense as police raised a blue flag to warn protesters that they were engaged in an illegal meeting and the officers could use force.
The standoff continued for nearly an hour, with protesters throwing objects at the police including bottles, umbrellas and even yellow rubber ducks.The black-clad demonstrators squirted fire extinguishers to create smoke as they retreated. Many shouted slogans frequently used in the recent anti-extradition protests, including “reclaim Hong Kong, revolution of our time!”. The police backed off shortly after 11pm and protesters began to leave.
Police did not use teargas, rubber bullets and beanbag rounds to disperse the crowds, which marks a departure from the usual pattern of tactics over the past two months.
Resentment against police violence has grown in recent weeks after an increasing use of force to disperse protesters, with innocent bystanders and local residents also affected.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, during a five-minute silence to mark the 21 July attack, some protesters covered one eye in a gesture of solidarity with a young woman whose eye was badly injured in one of the August protests.