Hong Kong was brought to a standstill on Monday morning as thousands of pro-democracy protesters blocked roads, disrupted trains and cancelled almost 200 flights as a mass strike got underway.
Traffic snarled up as activists barricaded the Cross-Harbour tunnel linking Hong Kong island with the mainland, while trains were delayed as demonstrators held the doors of carriages open.
Meanwhile striking airport workers caused almost 100 inbound and 100 outbound flights to be cancelled on Monday morning.
Carrie Lam, the city’s leader who has faced daily calls to resign over the protests, warned the people were now on ‘the verge of a very dangerous situation.’
Pro-democracy protesters called for a general strike in Hong Kong on Monday, blocking train doors in order to disrupt commuters
A frustrated woman shouts at a masked protester as he blocks train doors at Diamond Hill MTR station while calling for a general strike in Hong Kong
Demonstrators arrive at the Admiralty station of Mass Transit Railway (MTR) to attend a protest in Hong Kong on Monday
Hundreds of flights were also cancelled after airport workers called in sick en masse, after apparently heeding the calls for a strike
Almost 100 incoming and 100 outgoing flights were cancelled on Monday as Hong Kong entered its ninth consecutive week of protests
A passenger checks the status of her flight on an electric board at Hong Kong international airport amid hundreds of cancellations
‘I don’t think at this point in time, resignation of myself or some of my colleagues would provide a better solution,’ the chief executive said at a news conference, having disappeared from public view for almost two weeks.
Protesters snarled the morning rush hour by blocking train and platform doors, preventing subway and commuter rail trains from leaving their stations.
After demonstrators in face masks refused to move from train entry points in several stations, and commuters found themselves stranded on crowded platforms and some required medical attention.
More than 100 flights have been cancelled out of Hong Kong after a large number of airport employees called in sick in apparent participation in the general strike, Hong Kong media reported.
Public broadcaster RTHK said Cathay Pacific and other domestic carriers such as Hong Kong Airlines were the most affected.
Airport express train service was also suspended.
Protesters use barricades to block the road at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hong Kong on Monday morning, bringing traffic to a standstill
The Cross-Harbour Tunnel links the island of Hong Kong with the mainland, and was targeted by protesters on Monday as they brought disruption to the city
Workers remove barricades that were placed by protesters to block the road, at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hong Kong
Carrie Lam, the city’s leader who has removed herself from public view for the last two weeks, emerged to give a press conference on Monday
Lam again refused to resign, while warning protesters that the city is now on ‘the verge of a very dangerous situation’
It comes after a day of unrest Sunday when activists called for a general strike to paralyse the city Monday across eight districts – Admiralty, Mong Kok, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Tsuen Wan, Wong Tai Sin, Tuen Mun and around the theme park Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.
Demonstrators clashed with police as they dragged barriers across city streets, spray-painted traffic lights and snipped cables powering them in an attempt to cause as much disruption as possible.
‘We sprayed the traffic light because we don’t want traffic to work tomorrow and we don’t want citizens to go to work,’ said one protester who was clad from head to toe in black.
Riot police confronted the protesters, who have adopted flash tactics, shifting quickly from place to place to evade capture and using online platforms such as Telegram to direct hundreds of people.
Police fired tear gas into crowds as protesters used slingshots to hurl rocks and bricks back at them.
Meanwhile China’s official state news agency Xinhua wrote on Sunday that the ‘central government will not sit idly by and let this situation continue.
Protesters sit on the ground of the platform at the Fortress Hill MTR Station as they wait to disrupt incoming trains by holding the doors open
A man lays across train doors in order to prevent the carriage from leaving as part of pro-democracy protests that have gripped Hong Kong
Protesters block the doors of a Mass Transit Railway (MTR) subway train from closing as they disrupt its service in Diamond Hill MTR station
A protester (right) holds up a banner against the extradition bill at a rally during a general strike in Hong Kong
The citywide strike and demonstrations in seven Hong Kong districts moved forward Monday following a weekend of clashes between protesters and riot police.
They are part of a summer of fiery demonstrations that began in June against proposed extradition legislation that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial.
While the government has since suspended the bill, protesters have pressed on with broader calls for democratic reforms and an investigation into alleged police brutality.
The Communist Party-led central government in Beijing has condemned what they call violent and radical protesters who have vandalized the Chinese national anthem and national flag on the sidelines of major rallies.
China has accused unnamed ‘foreign forces’ of inflaming the demonstrations out of a desire to contain the country’s development.
Monday’s strike comes a day after violent clashes in the city saw police fire tear gas and charge crowds with batons in order to break up the demonstrations
On Sunday afternoon, dozens of people fired bricks from a slingshot at the Tseung Kwan O Police Station, pictured, during a rally
Protesters dressed in black used slingshots to aim at police during another night of protests in Hong Kong. Pictured is a demonstrator in Causeway Bay
A lone priest stood in front of a row of riot police during the protests in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong, as thousands more people took to the streets in another night of demonstrations
People held colourful banners and leaflets as they joined the peaceful rally, pictured, in the Tseung Kwan O district
On Chinese state broadcaster CCTV’s daily noon news report, an anchor read aloud from a strongly-worded editorial titled ‘The Chaos in Hong Kong Must Not Continue.’
‘We warn those maniacs and thugs who intend to continue to mess up Hong Kong by holding to a fantasy that you must pay a price for your savage revenge,’ the editorial said.
‘So please become aware of your errors, turn back from your incorrect path and set down the butcher’s knives.’
A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under the framework of ‘one country, two systems,’ which promised the city certain democratic freedoms not afforded to the mainland.
But some Hong Kong residents feel that Beijing has been increasingly encroaching on their freedoms in recent years.
Claudia Mo, a pro-democracy lawmaker, said Beijing should consider engaging with protesters through Lam.
‘We hope the learned people in Beijing would at least deliver some sincerity by suggesting via Carrie Lam, “Okay, you guys want democracy, perhaps we can talk,” Mo said Monday.
‘We can talk – just three words. And maybe that can help appease the society.’