Hong Kong police News

Hong Kong police detained a man on Wednesday holding a flag urging independence, the first arrest under a sweeping national security law introduced overnight, but the fine print on the man`s banner raised questions about his call.

The tension on Wednesday rose after some arrests were made in the Wan Chai bar district near a branch of global banking group HSBC <0005.HK>, which has been the target of protester anger in recent weeks. When scuffles broke out, large numbers of black-clad protesters rushed to the scene while other protesters formed human chains to pass them various supplies including bricks, forcing police to bring in their own reinforcements.

The violence broke out during a largely peaceful march as masses of regular citizens pressed authorities for further concessions in the Chinese-ruled city.

At least eight protesters who had been holding out at a trashed Hong Kong university surrendered to police in the early hours of Friday, while others desperately searched for escape routes as riot officers surrounded the campus. The siege at the Polytechnic University on the Kowloon peninsula appeared to be nearing an end with the number of protesters dwindling to less than 100, days after some of the worst violence since anti-government demonstrations escalated in June.

China’s top legislature, commenting on a ruling that said a proposed ban on face masks worn by protesters was unlawful, said Hong Kong courts had no power to rule on the constitutionality of the city`s legislation, according to state media outlet Xinhua. The statement came a day after Hong Kong`s High Court vetoed the ban, imposed using colonial-era emergency powers, on wearing face masks during public demonstrations.

The bloody standoff between security forces and activists at Polytechnic University entered its second day after a night of mayhem in which a police van was set alight and a police officer was shot with an arrow.

Police fired tear gas at protesters overnight, while some activists torched a vehicle, hurled petrol bombs at a police station and metro train and broke into a major shopping mall. Hundreds of commuters were seen queuing at metro stations across the city early on Wednesday after some railway services were suspended and roads closed.

Some roads were closed early in the morning with long traffic jams building during rush hour, a day after some of the worst violence to rock the former British colony. A protester was shot by police and a man set on fire on Monday. Riot police were deployed at metro stations across the territory, while rail operator MTR Corp urged people to use other forms of transport. 

Video footage showed a protester lying in a pool of blood with his eyes wide open. Police also pepper-sprayed and subdued a woman nearby as plastic crates were thrown at officers, the video shared on social media showed. Reuters could not immediately authenticate the footage.

A series of protests for and against the city`s Communist Party rulers in Beijing is planned ahead of the 70th anniversary of the People`s Republic on Tuesday, including at the consulate of former colonial power Britain.

Heavy-handed policing is rare in Hong Kong and the case triggered public outrage and deepened tension during the protests in which clashes erupted occasionally.

There has been no intelligence suggesting Hong Kong being a target of terrorist attack, Police Commissioner Stephen Lo said here on Saturday.