Hong Kong
Strife-torn Hong Kong on
Tuesday marked the 70th anniversary of Communist China's founding with defiant
"Day of Grief" protests and fresh clashes with police as
pro-democracy activists ignored a ban on marches and took to the streets.
Tens of thousands marched through the streets of Hong Kong Island on
Tuesday, the 70th anniversary of Communist
Party rule in China, despite authorities rejecting an application to
hold a rally there as police warned people "to leave the scene as soon as
possible".
A police officer in Tsuen Wan district shot a protester in the chest on
Tuesday after he and his unit were attacked by demonstrators during sustained
clashes in the city, a police source told AFP.
"An officer discharged his firearm after coming under attack and a
protester was struck in the chest today," the source said, requesting
anonymity.
Activists are determined to overshadow Beijing's festivities, using the
anniversary to step up their nearly four months of protests pushing for greater
democratic freedoms and police accountability.
Smaller crowds rallied in nearly a dozen other districts with police
firing tear gas and rubber bullets at hardcore protesters in at least four
separate locations.
In Tsuen Wan, masked protesters used umbrellas and projectiles to beat
riot officers after they made a series of arrests, forcing the police to
retreat into a nearby town hall.
Authorities also said protesters threw corrosive liquid at officers in
Tuen Mun, posting pictures of a policeman with painful chemical burns to his
torso and holes in his uniform.
The biggest march remained on Hong Kong Island where huge crowds tried
to make their way towards the building that represents China's central
government, a previous target for protesters. They were halted by lions of riot
police who pushes the crowds back.
At one point along the march protesters threw eggs at a portrait of Chinese
President Xi Jinping and tore down large placards celebrating the 70th
anniversary, trampling the discarded slogans under foot.
"Three months on and our five demands have yet to be achieved. We
need to continue our fight," a protester, wearing a mask from the cult
film and comic book "V for Vendetta", told AFP.
The protests came as lavish celebrations were taking place in Beijing,
including a huge military parade through Tiananmen Square under the gaze of
China's strongman Xi.
Among those watching the parade was Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, who has
historically low approval ratings at home as public anger boils over Beijing's
increased control of the semi-autonomous city.
Millions have hit the streets in record-breaking numbers while hardcore
activists have repeatedly clashed with police, in the biggest challenge to
China's rule since the city's 1997 handover by Britain.
In a vivid illustration of the political insecurity now coursing through
Hong Kong, city officials watched a morning harbor-side flag-raising ceremony
from the safety of the nearby convention centre.
Since the 1997 handover, officials had always attended the ceremony
outside, even during torrential downpours.
But popular protests that erupted in June have made it increasingly
risky for officials to appear in public.
A flag-raising ceremony on July 1 -- the anniversary of Hong Kong's
handover -- was also watched from indoors as protesters flooded the streets and
later laid siege to the city's legislature.
Throughout the morning police ramped up security checks and conducted
frequent stop and searches while authorities announced the closure of 15 subway
stations.
Rival pro-China rallies were also held.
In the morning, a crowd of some 50
people waved flags and chanted "Long live the motherland!"
"We are Chinese and the whole
nation is celebrating," Kitty Chan, 30, told AFP.
Hong Kong's protests were initially
sparked by a now scrapped plan to allow extraditions to the mainland but have
since snowballed into a much wider movement of popular anger against city
leaders and Beijing.
Among the demands made by protesters is an inquiry
into the police, an amnesty for the more than 1,500 people arrested and
universal suffrage -- all of which have been rejected by Beijing and Lam. - FRANCE 24
with AFP
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