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On December 1st, tens of thousands of protesters in Hong Kong returned to the streets after almost two weeks of calm, following a victory for the “pan-democrats” in the district council elections.
The demonstrations were initially calm, but then clashes with police began as some rioters began vandalizing shops that had ties to mainland China.
An hour after the march began, police said a group of protesters set off smoke bombs that in turn prompted the force to fire tear gas into the densely packed columns of people marching and spilling onto the roads.
The force said radical protesters had thrown bricks at officers, and in response tear gas was used.
In Whampoa, police fire rounds of tear gas at protesters after some threw bricks at officers
Video: SCMP/Lilian Cheng pic.twitter.com/74ml0C7SpE
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) December 1, 2019
“Police officers, in response, deployed the minimum necessary force, including tear gas, to stop their illegal acts,” it said.
The situation was worst in Whampoa, where rioters smashed restaurants and shops and vandalized the exits of the railway station there.
The rally that saw the vandalizing was approved by the police. Two more rallies were approved, one against the use of tear gas by police, the other to thank US President Donald Trump for signing the Hong Kong bills in the previous week.
Officers from the Special Tactical Squad arrive in Whampoa where protesters are trashing shops. Police subdue a man
Video: SCMP/Lilian Cheng pic.twitter.com/HQRPOwshIy
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) December 1, 2019
Police said that at around 8pm “masked rioters were recklessly damaging facilities” in the area. They blocked Hung Hom Road and Tak Man Street with barricades while some stormed shops and vandalised facilities inside. The force warned that it would carry out a dispersal operation.
In total two petrol bombs were thrown during the protests – one at a police van, with part of the vehicle briefly alight. Police fired a few rounds of tear gas, rubber bullets and beanbag rounds in response. The other was thrown at the Whampoa MTX station.
A couple accused of filming protesters' faces in Hung Hom are chased and beaten with umbrellas. Other protesters try to cover reporters' cameras
Video: SCMP/Lilian Cheng pic.twitter.com/4ONawqAFkR
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) December 1, 2019
In Tsim Sha Tsui, hundreds of protesters are climbing over the partition separating a highway and a footbridge as they fear the police are fast approaching.
Video: SCMP/Lilian Cheng pic.twitter.com/07Dt2dKLhc
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) December 1, 2019
Workers in Hong Kong’s business district took to the streets on December 2nd, for a week of lunchtime protests. The protest went without issue, for two hours and there were no clashes and violence.
In response to the US support of the Hong Kong protesters, and US President Donald Trump signing into law two bills in support of them, China announced that rest and recuperation visits by American warships in Hong Kong were prohibited.
“In response to the unreasonable behaviour of the US side, the Chinese government has decided to suspend reviewing the applications for US warships to go to Hong Kong for recuperation as of today,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing.
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Tear gas is better than either live ammunition or rubber bullets which can take out an eye.
Mainland China is sitting back and watching Hong Kong destroy itself which is still a colonial vassal to UK and US.