At exactly midnight, an hour after they promised to do so, Hong Kong riot police marched toward the city’s Legislative Council building behind a cloud of tear gas to begin clearing out protesters they had allowed to break into the facility unmolested only hours earlier.
Within minutes, a charge behind raised shields saw police crash headlong into protesters, who attempted to hold firm.
Riot police now advancing behind shields outside #HongKong's Legislative Council building. #NoChinaExtradition #HongKongProtests #反送中 #AntiELAB pic.twitter.com/2uUGoFMBXb
— Coconuts Hong Kong (@CoconutsHK) July 1, 2019
Tear gas canisters are now being fired by #HongKong riot police at protesters on LegCo building's exterior. #NoChinaExtradition #HongKongProtests #反送中 #AntiELAB pic.twitter.com/ailJhr7ctb
— Coconuts Hong Kong (@CoconutsHK) July 1, 2019
From a distance (not enough to not feel the tear gas, unfortunately), you can see the moment when #HongKong police charge the line of protesters just a few minutes ago. #NoChinaExtradition #HongKongProtests #反送中 #AntiELAB pic.twitter.com/UcEEz617Rd
— Coconuts Hong Kong (@CoconutsHK) July 1, 2019
Inside the legislative chamber, the scene was equally chaotic, as protesters who had only an hour or so before been tossing eggs and spray-painting the city’s Bauhinia emblem, scrambled to make for the exits as word spread of what was happening outside.
https://twitter.com/HongKongFP/status/1145728364222615553
Today’s protest was a continuation of the weeks of demonstrations that have rocked Hong Kong since early June, first fueled by widespread fears that the extradition bill could see Hongkongers entangled in the mainland’s notoriously politicized courts, and later galvanized by the heavy-handed police response to an unruly protest on June 12.
That response appeared to win the cause widespread public sympathy, but protests in recent days have taken on a far more disruptive cast, with mostly young demonstrators surrounding police headquarters and occupying government buildings, stymying government workers and everyday Hongkongers alike.
This story is rapidly developing and will be updated shortly.
