Hong Kong protests: Police use tear gas as they clear government HQ of protesters
Fury over extradition bill continues
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Your support makes all the difference.Police officers in Hong Kong fired tear gas at protesters as they cleared hundreds of people gathered by government headquarters in the city.
Crowds of demonstrators had earlier stormed the Legislative Council Building, smashing windows and prying opening steel security gates to gain entry.
Once inside, the protesters scrawled graffiti across the main chamber’s walls, on the 22nd anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule.
They tore down portraits hanging in the main chamber and stood on legislators’ desks while inside.
The protesters’ entered the chamber at around 9pm and the city’s police force declared its intention to clear the building in a statement issued at 10.30pm.
A spokesperson warned that the authorities would use appropriate force to deal with the protesters.
Officers then fired pepper spray and used several canisters of tear gas against the crowds.
Some protesters used umbrellas to protect themselves from the onslaught, while others fled.
The police officers, clad in full riot gear, cleared the legislature and the surrounding area shortly after midnight.
The protest is the third major one to occur in as many weeks, as public anger intensifies over Hong Kong’s extradition bill.
Protesters fear that the bill, which would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party, is a threat to the city’s rule of law.
They are demanding that the bill, which has been suspended, be completely scrapped.
Demonstrators are also calling for the resignation of Carrie Lam, Hong’s Kong’s leader.
Ms Lam said earlier Monday that she would do a better job of listening to the voices of young people, but she has resisted calls to step down.
Additional reporting by agencies
If you would like to see how the Hong Kong protests unfolded, please see what was our live coverage below
Security forces are slowly beginning to restore order in Hong Kong as they clear protesters from the city's legislative headquarters.
In a slow and deliberate operation, large numbers of officers began moving in after taking positions outside the legislature around midnight.
Officers have entered the main chamber of the building, where only journalists remain.
Some demonstrators have poured water on tear gas canisters as they clashed with police officers outside the Legislative Council building.
"The fight in Hong Kong is part of the struggle for a free and equal world; an aspiration that communities co-exist with equality, collaboration, vibrancy, and democracy. To achieve such a dream, defending Hong Kong’s rule of law and defeating the extradition bill is where the people must start," argue Joshua Wong and Alex Chow in a column for The Independent.
Read more here:
Police officers in riot gear are now systematically clearing protesters from the Legislative Council building and the surrounding area.
"Protesters hung a black banner in the chamber with the words “No rioters, only tyranny. Only rule by tyranny”, a reference to many protesters often stated belief that Beijing is an 'authoritarian regime',' writes Erin Hale from Hong Kong.
"They also took down China’s red flag and replaced it with a black flag featuring the Bauhinia flower, a variation of Hong Kong’s national flag. Fringe groups could also be seen waving British colonial flags."
Read her piece on the day's events here:
Photographs are now emerging of police officers retaking the meeting hall of the Legislative Council building.
Earlier activists had stood on legislators' desks in the main chamber, painted over the territory's emblem high on a wall and denounced the now-suspended extradition legislation that sparked the protests.
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