Travel chaos, tear gas as protests rock city for second day running

Passengers on board an East Rail Line train had to walk to Sha Tin station after protesters had thrown debris onto the tracks. Screengrab via Facebook video/HK01.
Passengers on board an East Rail Line train had to walk to Sha Tin station after protesters had thrown debris onto the tracks. Screengrab via Facebook video/HK01.

Hongkongers were faced with yet another day of tear gas and morning travel chaos today after protesters continued to disrupt traffic and public transport for a second consecutive day.

As of this morning, at least four MTR train lines reported they were either running services at reduced frequency or had at least one station closed. Closed stations include Kwai Fong, near where an officer drove his motorcycle into protesters yesterday, and Sai Wan Ho, near the scene of a clash that culminated in an officer shooting a protester at point-blank range.

The MTR also shut University station this morning after protesters gathered nearby and erected barricades. The station is close the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which on Monday was also a battleground between police and protesters, with police firing volleys of tear gas onto the campus.

Protesters also threw debris onto train tracks in the New Territories, forcing some passengers on a Hung Hom-bound East Rail line train to walk to Sha Tin station.

There was also an increased police presence at some stations, and officers were seen carrying out stop-and-searches on some passengers wearing masks whom they suspected were heeding calls to disrupt traffic today.

Some livestreams showed protesters also blocking roads and exits at HKU, Mong Kok, and Hung Hom stations.

Police also kicked off the day by firing tear gas in Kowloon Tong, close to the City University of Hong Kong.

Several universities and private schools also announced that classes will be canceled today.

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Today’s clashes come a day after an especially chaotic series of protests across the city, fueled in part by the recent death of a university student who succumbed to a brain injury sustained in a fall at a car park during a police dispersal operation in Tseung Kwan O just over a week ago.

The shooting of the protester in Sai Wan Ho only fanned anger among Hongkongers, prompting some to stage impromptu protests in parts of the city yesterday afternoon.



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