In a sign of potentially escalating violence, a police officer fired off a gun and a water cannon was used against protesters for the first time, during protests on August 25th.
“According to my understanding, just now a gunshot was fired by a colleague,” Superintendent Leung Kwok Win told the press. “My initial understanding was that it was a uniformed policeman who fired his gun.”
In a statement, police said protesters’ actions were “outrageous and have overstepped the bottom line of a civilized society,” and added that they “will take relentless enforcement action to bring the persons involved to justice.”
Speaking to reporters after the incident, the police said an officer had fired into the air because he felt his life was threatened.
According to MSM reports, several police officers had guns and they aimed at protesters, and whether they were using live rounds or not remains unknown. But this marked the first time a gunshot was heard, and a water cannon was deployed.
Water cannon deployed toward protesters. pic.twitter.com/k3QgJVacuu
— Nathan VanderKlippe (@nvanderklippe) August 25, 2019
Footage of the water cannon truck can be seen here:
Tear gas was also used once more, in response to “pro-democracy” protesters throwing petrol bombs at police officers.
Hong Kong police said 36 people had been arrested as a result of August 25th’s protests, the youngest being at the age of 12.
Over the August 17-18th weekend, protests were completely peaceful, with no clashes with authorities. But the “truce” came to an end.
Maria Tam Wai-chu, deputy director of the Hong Kong SAR Basic Law Committee, told a seminar in southern China that any severe civil unrest may prompt a call for help from the People’s Liberation Army.
“The soldiers stationed in Hong Kong are not straw men meant to just stay in the garrison, they are an important part of the ‘one country, two systems’.”
There was a smaller, peaceful rally, actually in support of the police, which called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis and an end to violence.
Regardless, according to MSM reports, such as from the BBC, the “hardline” protesters who go equipped with petrol bombs, metal rods and bricks ready to attack police were actually called “corrupt police” and “piles of rubbish.” Essentially, MSM report that the violent protesters are simply a minority, and one organized by the authorities to construct a false narrative of the protesters.
At the same time, China maintains that the protesters are mostly organized due to foreign interference and primarily by the US.
Whether the developments of August 24th and 25th will led to a more violent escalation in the following days and a prompting of Hong Kong authorities to ask Mainland China for help remains to be seen.
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Stand firm China. Fuck these 5th columnist traitor scum.
The picture of flames is a false flag lying piece of “click bait”. Support the people of Hong Kong
Of course it is. All those Molotov cocktails , tear gas bricks and fire crackers were all added after the peaceful demonstration moved on. They got what they wanted weeks ago , time to get on with normal life. China is not going to let this go on forever nor fall into the trap laid by America. When I was first in Hong Kong most of the people were very happy that they were returning from British rule back to China. None of these protesters were alive in those days so have no idea of the life that was HK then. The last time I was in HK the Fulun Gong were having a peaceful uninterrupted protest with a few Police directing traffic . You have no idea about Hong Kong , but of course you already know that.
the people of hongkong is the tool of the unhinged states of A – thus deserve no support whatsoever, rather the contrary, treated like traitors would be better and more suitable!
This has gone on a bit longer than expected!
Man if the media spent the same amount of (energy/ persons injured), reporting the fracas in France, there would have been no room for any other stories for the last year. I read somewhere that the one lesson the Chinese learned from the events around Tiananmen was not to lose their weapons or equipment. They are up against trained insurgents. Move to the US and see what democracy actually looks like before you sacrifice your life for it. Hollywood movies are a piss poor way to learn the truth about the US.
Now the stage is ready, cue the snipers.
The bullet has not to be fired into the air, but between the eyes and double down in the middle of the chest.
Wow can you imagine how the troops, I mean cops in the US would handle these people? See how well they have us trained?
Or who were those snipers shooting medical first responders? Oh yeah, hint they were shooting Palestinians, who had the nerve to “attack” a fence. Bull dozer, rpg? Not so much, but they are wicked with those slingshots, they scratched the paint on a tank, terrorists!
Meanwhile those well paid activists in Hong Kong have burned APC vehicles and all they contained and we should feel our tax money is well spent funding yet another color revolution. They are certainly well prepared for when the shtf in the US.