Hong Kong’s embattled leader condemned pro-democracy protesters who trashed subway stations and shops last night and left the city frightened and paralysed.
Carrie Lam said: ‘The extreme actions of rioters created a very dark night for Hong Kong and made Hong Kong society semi-paralysed today.
‘Everyone is very worried and concerned, even scared. Extremely terrifying violence occurred in all districts in Hong Kong.
‘The extreme actions done by masked rioters were shocking.’
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Hong Kong’s embattled leader condemned pro-democracy protesters who trashed subway stations and shops last night and left the city frightened and paralysed. Pictured are Hong Kong police chasing a couple wearing face masks
Carrie Lam said: ‘The extreme actions of rioters created a very dark night for Hong Kong and made Hong Kong society semi-paralysed today.’ Pictured is a protester wearing an Iron Man face mask
Police detain a protester on the streets after taking them to the ground on the streets of Hong Kong today
Her comments come the day after a night of chaos which saw 14-year-old boy get shot by a police officer, who said he fired at the teenager after having a petrol bomb thrown at him.
The boy is still in hospital and is in a stable condition.
The city’s metro system stayed shut today, paralysing transport in the financial hub, and malls and shops closed early.
Yesterday’s protests across the Chinese-ruled city erupted hours after Lam invoked colonial-era emergency powers for the first time in more than 50 years to ban the face masks demonstrators use to hide their identities.
Lam’s comments come the day after a night of chaos which saw 14-year-old boy get shot by a police officer, who said he fired at the teenager after having a petrol bomb thrown at him
A protester wearing a skull face mask at Admiralty area in Hong Kong. Lam announced a ban on face masks using a colonial-era emergency powers
Police in full protective gear gather near a streetcar stop in Hong Kong today after a night of chaos caused by ongoing riots
Beijing-backed Lam said the night’s ‘extreme violence’ justified the use of the emergency law.
‘The radical behavior of rioters took Hong Kong through a very dark night, leaving society today half-paralyzed,’ she said in pre-recorded remarks.
‘The extreme violence clearly illustrated that Hong Kong’s public safety is widely endangered. That’s the concrete reason that we had to invoke emergency law yesterday to introduce the anti-mask law.’
But undeterred by the ban and transport shutdown, several hundred pro-democracy protesters, many wearing masks, took to the streets today, marching through the normally bustling central district of Causeway Bay.
Beijing-backed Lam said the night’s ‘extreme violence’ justified the use of the emergency law. Pictured is a smashed window of a branch of the Bank of China
But undeterred by the ban and transport shutdown, several hundred pro-democracy protesters, many wearing masks, took to the streets today, marching through the normally bustling central district of Causeway Bay
Last night’s chaotic rioting saw protesters starting numerous fires around the city and in metro stations
Other groups gathered in Sheung Shui and Tsim Sha Tsui districts as the sun began to set.
‘We’re not sure what is going to happen later, but we felt we had to get out and show our basic right to wear a mask,’ said one protester, Sue, 22, who wore a black mask and dark glasses to the Causeway Bay march.
‘The government needs to learn it can’t squeeze Hong Kong people like this.’
The increasingly violent demonstrations that have roiled the city for four months began in opposition to a bill introduced in April that would have allowed extradition to mainland China, but they have since spiraled into a broader pro-democracy movement.
The unrest has plunged Hong Kong into its biggest political crisis since its handover from Britain to China in 1997 under a one country, two systems formula that granted it autonomy and broad freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland.
‘We’re not sure what is going to happen later, but we felt we had to get out and show our basic right to wear a mask,’ said one protester, Sue, 22, who wore a black mask and dark glasses to the Causeway Bay march
A firefighter checks a bin as fires were set to an entrance of the metro station at Causeway Bay
An anti-government protester runs away from a tear gas canister while wearing a face mask and holding an umbrella
China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said on Friday the protests were evolving into a revolution backed by foreign forces and could not continue indefinitely.
The United Nations human rights chief called on Saturday for an independent probe into the violence during anti-government protests in Hong Kong, saying the injuries were alarming.
MTR Corp said its network, which carries about five million passengers each day, would remain suspended, while shopping malls and supermarkets also closed, in a new blow for retailers and restaurants in a city on the edge of recession.
‘As we are no longer in a position to provide safe and reliable service to passengers in the circumstances, the corporation had no choice but to make the decision to suspend the service of its entire network,’ it said in a statement.
China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said on Friday the protests were evolving into a revolution backed by foreign forces and could not continue indefinitely
Pro-democracy protesters march on a street as they take part in a rally in Causeway Bay district last night
Masked protesters walk next to a banner with the words ‘may glory be to Hong Kong’ today
Protesters had set fires at stations, as well as on an empty train, and injured two staff, added MTR, which is known for operating one of the world’s most efficient rail networks.
All stations closed late on Friday, stranding passengers and forcing many to walk home, a situation set to worsen during a holiday weekend in the city.
The airport express, one of the most popular routes to the airport, re-opened with restricted service on Saturday, MTR said.
More than a dozen shopping malls, supermarkets, and branches of Bank of China (Hong Kong), Bank of East Asia , and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China , which have been targeted by protesters, said they would not open on Saturday.
Protesters had set fires at stations, as well as on an empty train, and injured two staff, added MTR, which is known for operating one of the world’s most efficient rail networks
All stations closed late on Friday, stranding passengers and forcing many to walk home, a situation set to worsen during a holiday weekend in the city
More than a dozen shopping malls, supermarkets, and branches of Bank of China (Hong Kong), Bank of East Asia , and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China , which have been targeted by protesters, said they would not open on Saturday
Companies across Hong Kong, the Asian base for many global businesses, are increasingly walking a tightrope between the protesters and China’s Communist Party rulers in Beijing
The 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores said outlets would close at 5pm.
Shoppers formed long lines in supermarkets ahead of the expected closures.
Companies across Hong Kong, the Asian base for many global businesses, are increasingly walking a tightrope between the protesters and China’s Communist Party rulers in Beijing.
On Saturday, shoe brand Vans came under fire from Hong Kong internet users for removing from its website a design submitted in an online competition that showed Hong Kong protesters clad in yellow hard-hats.
In a statement, Vans said designs were removed ‘in line with our company’s long-held values of respect and tolerance, as well as our clearly communicated guidelines for this competition’.
On Saturday, shoe brand Vans came under fire from Hong Kong internet users for removing from its website a design submitted in an online competition that showed Hong Kong protesters clad in yellow hard-hats
In a statement, Vans said designs were removed ‘in line with our company’s long-held values of respect and tolerance, as well as our clearly communicated guidelines for this competition’
A customer walks past empty shelves at a supermarket after a night demonstration against an emergency law to ban face masks
The ban on face masks, which took effect on today, was ordered under emergency laws allowing authorities to ‘make any regulations whatsoever’ in what they deem to be the public interest.
But the move enraged protesters, who took to the streets to vent their anger, many wearing masks in defiance of the ban.
There were no immediate reports of arrests over the masks.
Demonstrators set fires, hurled petrol bombs at police and burned the Chinese national flag, in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing.
People queue in a supermarket in Admiralty district, in Hong Kong, today as shops are set to close early after last night’s chaos
Anti-government protesters wearing masks attend a protest in Causeway Bay district while holding umbrellas and a large banner
Hospital authorities said 31 people were hurt in Friday’s protests, two of them seriously
About 100 demonstrators besieged a branch of the Bank of China (Hong Kong) in the high-end shopping district of Causeway Bay, while across the harbour in the district of Kowloon, protesters smashed the glass store front of a China Life Insurance branch.
Police fired volleys of tear gas to disperse protesters in flashpoint districts such as Causeway Bay, Sha Tin and Wong Tai Sin, underscoring the challenges they face as protests show no sign of letting up.
Hospital authorities said 31 people were hurt in Friday’s protests, two of them seriously.
Pro-democracy protesters hold hands as they walk down the street past a worker who is boarding up a branch of the China Construction Bank
Hong Kong police detain a man who was carrying a black umbrella in the Central district in Hong Kong
Hong Kong police detain a man on the streets of Hong Kong today and march him through the city
A Hong Kong policeman tries to block off the area after a group of police chased down a couple wearing facemasks in the Central district in Hong Kong
A riot police personnel gestures as he arrives at Causeway Bay area in Hong Kong last night
People walk along the closed stores in Tsim Sha Tsui district, in Hong Kong
A man walks past writings on a wall reading ‘Dear World, END CHINAZI PLS! HK’, in Causeway Bay, in Hong Kong
People are seen in front of closed stores in Wan Chai district, in Hong Kong