Waleed Aly and Carrie Bickmore are left speechless during tense moment on The Project as screen cuts black in live cross to violent Hong Kong protest
- Hamish Macdonald, wearing a helmet, was updating The Project viewers
- Suddenly the screen cut black and camera shot switched to the studio
- But a second later Macdonald re-appeared on screen and continued
Waleed Aly and Carrie Bickmore were stunned when a live feed to Hamish Macdonald cut out as he reported from violent protests in Hong Kong.
Macdonald, wearing a helmet and holding a gas mask, was updating The Project viewers on the anti-government demonstrations which escalated on Tuesday.
As he was speaking to camera among a crowd of protesters, signal was lost and the screen suddenly went black.
Macdonald told The Project newsroom: ‘I have got a mask and this man is just telling me to put the mask on because he thinks they are going to spray water canon and gas’
The Project’s Hamish Macdonald was told to put on a gas mask by a demonstrator as Hong Kong pro-democracy protest reaches boiling point on China’s 70th anniversar
The camera shot switched to Aly in the newsroom who was left speechless and looking confused.
Just a second later the signal resumed and Macdonald was back on camera.
‘I don’t know if you’ve got me there,’ he said once back on screen.
The Project’s Carrie Bickmore was also left stunned by the moment of uncertainty, urging Macdonald to put on his gas mask when the live feed returned.
Hong Kong police shot an 18-year-old protester at close range in the chest on Tuesday, in a dramatic escalation in violence as tens of thousands joined anti-government demonstrations across the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
The pistol shot hit the protester on the left side of his chest, and Hong Kong’s hospital authority said he was in critical condition.
Marching anti-government protesters are seen through a glass with peeled off posters , Tuesday
A protestor kicks back an exploded tear gas shell in Hong Kong
While officers have previously fired warning shots in the air on multiple occasions during months of demonstrations in Hong Kong, this was the first time a protester is known to have been shot.
There were other instances Tuesday when officers also drew their weapons, including two with bloodied faces who pointed pistols.
The demonstrations – the latest in a long series – coincided with China’s Communist leaders in Beijing marked their 70 years in power with a military parade.
Those attending the celebrations included Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam who led a delegation of Hong Kong officials and dignitaries in a show of unity with the ruling party.
In Hong Kong, thousands confronted police across the city, the largest number of simultaneous protests since the unrest began in early June over fears that the territory’s freedoms and citizen rights are being eroded.
The movement has since grown into an anti-Chinese campaign with demands for direct elections for the city’s leaders and police accountability.
Police detain an anti-government protester in Hong Kong
Police fire tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters